Last Sunday just was not the day for the New England Patriots, as they suffered their first loss for the season against the Denver Broncos (30–24) and also saw tight end Rob Gronkowski injure his right knee.
Gronkowski was carted off the field in the fourth quarter as the Patriots later announced that he will not be returning to the game, ESPN reported.
In another report by ESPN, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that Gronkowski suffered a bruised right knee and there are no tears, which is good news for New England.
But despite the injury being a minor one, the 26-year-old tight end is not expected to play in their upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13 and is week to week, the report added.
Before leaving the game due to the injury, Gronkowski had six receptions for 88 yards and one touchdown, leading the Patriots in the receiving department.
The injury to Gronkowski is another tough setback for New England's offense as it already suffers injuries to key players running back Dion Lewis and wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.
Gronkowski was expected to lead the Patriots' offense together with franchise quarterback Tom Brady in the absence of the three, but with him also out, Brady will have to rely on the remaining offensive players who are available to them as of now.
In 11 games played this season, Gronkowski has 57 receptions for 931 yards and nine touchdowns.
Since Gronkowski will not be playing against the Eagles this Sunday, likely stepping up in his place are tight ends Scott Chandler, Michael Williams, and Asante Cleveland.
Along with their matchup versus the Eagles, the Pats still have five games in their regular season schedule and will likely win the American Football Conference (AFC) East despite the recent setback against the Broncos.
