The New England Patriots are coming off a disappointing loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 4 and will have to bounce back quickly as they're set to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night on the road.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, the defending Super Bowl champions will have to take on the Bucs without one of their best offensive weapons. Veteran tight end Rob Gronkowski has been ruled out due to a thigh issue, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
#Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, who is dealing with a thigh issue, was expected to be limited tonight. Now, he won’t play. Rough news.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2017
The Patriots are in danger of falling below .500 this week with the team sporting a 2-2 record heading into their matchup with the Bucs. Tampa Bay, however, will try to make it three wins on the season by carrying over the momentum from last week's win over the New York Giants.
With Gronkowski ruled out for New England, the Patriots will likely turn to Dwayne Allen to shoulder the load at tight end. Allen has been targeted six times this season but has yet to catch a pass from Tom Brady.
Losing their perennial Pro Bowler will be costly with Gronkowski leading the team 318 receiving yards on 20 receptions with two touchdowns to his credit.
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