The Patriots may have lost their first game of the season on Sunday night, but their long-term prognosis to make another deep playoff run remained intact thanks to some welcome news: the knee injury tight end Rob Gronkowski suffered late in the fourth quarter isn't nearly as serious as first suspected.
In fact, according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, Gronkowski is week to week with a bruised knee. Any absence is expected to be short term, and the tight end is expected to return within a matter of weeks barring any unforeseen complications.
Meanwhile, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Gronk won't play Sunday vs. the Eagles, and is likely to miss multiple weeks.
We're likely to see a lot of reports in terms of how long Gronkowski will be out over the next coming days. Initial reports said he could even play this week, but that's seeming less likely with every news item released. With this week being a non-conference game against the struggling Eagles, it makes a lot of sense for the Pats to hold out Gronk, especially with the possibility of Danny Amendola coming back. However, there's been nothing official from the team and we urge owners to continue to have a backup plan.
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