Rob Gronkowski update: suffers hit to helmet, goes to locker room
By Brad Weiss
If New England is going to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, they need Rob Gronkowski on the field, but he was sent to the locker room before the half.
The New England Patriots have a lot of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, as they added Brandin Cooks to their wide receiver group this past offseason. While the skill players at wideout are very capable of taking over a game, they have the best tight end in football in Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski has managed to stay relatively healthy this season, after missing last year’s playoffs, but he took a rough hit in the second quarter of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
Quarterback Tom Brady hit Gronkowski over the middle for a possible first down, but he dropped the ball after Jacksonville Jaguars safety Barry Church hit him in the helmet. Gronkowski got up wobbly after the hit, and was escorted into the locker room right before half time. While there was no word on his condition as the teams went to the half, if he is unable to go, it leaves a huge hole in what the Patriots like to do on offense.
Gronkowski was slow to get started in the game, as he was not targeted for much of the first half. However, the Patriots began to look his way prior to him going down with the injury, and he is always a threat to make a big play late. The Patriots have had to deal with injuries all over the offense this season, including big-name players like Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, but Gronk may be the player they can least afford to lose.
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The five-time Pro Bowler started 14 games for the Patriots this past season, and racked up over 1,000 yards on 69 catches. His importance to this team is not only shown in the stats, but in how having him in the lineup opens up opportunities for other weapons. The Patriots head into halftime down 14-10, but there is a lot of football left.