If you wondered why Rob Gronkowski was nowhere to be seen in the New England Patriots‘ 19-14 win vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there is a good reason. According to ESPN, Patriots star tight end was dealing with a left thigh injury. Gronk was added to the injury report on Wednesday being listed as questionable. He wasn’t on injury reports on Monday or Tuesday, while playing all 70 offensive snaps on Sunday vs. Carolina Panthers.
Speaking with reporters about the game against Buccaneers, Gronkowski didn’t mention he had any issues.
“It’s definitely a challenge. It’s tough to already play a game Sunday and then be ready again for the following Sunday,” he said. “As I get older, too, I just see the difference, too. Just to prepare for a Thursday night game is totally a lot different.”
“You’re on top of it right away. You’ve got to be on top of your body right away, starting yesterday, maybe do some overtime extra stuff tonight. But to be ready, to be prepared, you’ve got to go full in this week. Then in the back of your head, you’ve got some rest over the weekend. So just go full in, getting ready for the game Thursday night, and you’ll be good.“
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots expect both Gronkowski and running back Rex Burkhead (out with rib injury) to be ready for their next game against New York Jets which is scheduled for 10 days.
In his first 4 games of the 2017 season, Rob Gronkowski lead the Patriots in receiving yards with 318. Gronk also had 20 receptions and 2 touchdowns. While Patriots managed to get a win against the Buccaneers without Gronkowski, they are surely looking forward to having him back on the pitch since he is the team’s best player after QB Tom Brady.
