The New England Patriots have taken full advantage of the extra week off to ensure that the team is as healthy as possible for Super Bowl LII. Among the notable names still on the injury report is tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski suffered a concussion after taking an illegal hit from Jacksonville Jaguars safety Barry Church in the AFC Conference Championship Game. However, he is confident that he will be able to clear concussion protocol before Sunday, according to Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press:
“Yes,” Gronkowski said
“Hopefully by tomorrow,” Gronkowski said. “We’ll see how it goes. I’m not the guy to say I’m out of the protocol. That’s the doctors’ calls.”
There is no doubt that when healthy, the Patriots star is the most dominant tight end in the NFL. He proved it once again during the 2017 NFL season after registering 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns. However, there has been some speculation as to how important he is to New England's success.
The Patriots were able to turn it on the second half without Rob Gronkowski en route to a 24-20 victory against the Jaguars. Needless to say, it is not the first time they have managed to win without their star tight end.
Regardless, there is no denying that the Patriots offense is much better when he is on the field. His deadly combination of size and speed make him a matchup nightmare for any defender. That said, Gronkowski will be hoping to get the nod from team doctors sometime soon.
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