The New England Patriots received some bad news on Thursday afternoon. Tight end Rob Gronkowski will undergo back surgery in Los Angeles tomorrow. He will miss at least eight weeks and likely the remainder of the season.
Rob Gronkowski Needs Back Surgery, Likely Out for Season
Originally reported by Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, Gronkowski will receive surgery on a ruptured disk suffered during the Patriots game against the Seattle Seahawks in week ten. The eight week time table for return reported by Carucci means that Gronkowski could return January 27th, just over a week before Super Bowl LI. Whether or not the Patriots can make it to the Super Bowl without Gronkowski remains to be seen. As it stands now, the Patriots would receive a first round bye in the AFC playoffs.
Without Gronkowski on the field, opposing defenses will have more players to devote to blitzing Tom Brady and covering his other weapons like Julian Edelman and Marellus Bennett. The path through the playoffs just got more interesting for the Patriots considering they still face teams that they may struggle against. Plus, Gronkowski is also one of the best blocking tight ends in the league so the run game might suffer somewhat as well. Not having Gronkowski for games against the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens will likely determine who gets home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
It is worth noting that this is Gronkowski’s third back surgery in seven years. His career has been hindered by other injuries as well, and his future with the Patriots could be shorter than many fans would like to believe. Nonetheless, if Gronkowski never played another down in the NFL he would still likely be a first-ballot hall of famer. Widely considered to be one of the top two or three tight ends of all time.
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