The New England Patriots are set to take on the Chicago Bears in Week 7 action looking to keep trending in the right direction looking to grab their fourth straight win. However, the Patriots will have to venture into the contest without the services of Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has been ruled out for the game, the team announced.

Gronkowski has gone through the entire week limited by dealing with nagging ankle and back problems over the last few days in practice. His injuries reached the point where he was told not to travel with the team, which was a strong indication that he wouldn't be playing on Sunday afternoon.

Gronk put together a productive start to the season with 26 catches for 405 receiving yards, but he has just one touchdown. Throughout his career, Gronkowski has proven to be a major target in end zone tallying up 77 career touchdowns. He has had a notable lack of production in that department but it isn't something that the Patriots have any true concern at this point in time.

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Instead, the Patriots may be more concerned with his health as he has been forced to miss a game due to nagging injuries that include his back to which he has had multiple surgeries over his career.

With Gronk absent, the Patriots will look to involve wide receivers Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman, and Chris Hogan more in the offensive game plan.

Meanwhile, rookie running back Sony Michel should see an increased workload in the backfield as he has shown to be a highly dependable asset in the running the game. Michel is currently 10th in the league with 400 rushing yards and eight with four rushing touchdowns. The Bears are an elite defense, so it'll be a good test for the Patriots.