The New England Patriots have advanced to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years with the franchise set to make an NFL record 10th appearance in the big game on Feb. 4. Although everything appears to be trending up for the Patriots as they'll be favorites against the Philadelphia Eagles, questions surround whether star tight end Rob Gronkowski will be able to take the field.

Gronkowski suffered a hit to the helmet in the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars which knocked him out of the game. The veteran tight end reportedly has a concussion but is said to be in good spirits, according to one of his teammates, via ESPN's Mike Reiss.

Teammate/captain Matthew Slater described Gronkowski as being in “pretty good spirits” when they talked.

The perennial Pro Bowler is no stranger to being on the injury report from week to week with Gronkowski having his fair share of health issues throughout his NFL career thus far. Even though his injury history is extensive, he's never been listed on a report with a concussion, via Reiss.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Gronkowski has been listed on the injury report 49 times over his eight-year career, but never with a concussion. That doesn’t include the times he was placed on injured reserve. In 2013, when he tore his ACL on a hit by T.J. Ward that ended his season, Gronkowski was believed to have sustained a concussion on the play as well.

With Super Bowl LII set to be played on Feb. 4 in Minnesota, Gronkowski has some time to get healthy enough to go through the concussion protocol and be cleared for the matchup with the Eagles.

Gronkowski's concussion and Tom Brady's right-hand injury will be the hot topics of discussion over the next two weeks as the Patriots and Eagles prepare for the Super Bowl showdown. Both players will be using this time to get right as New England attempts to be back-to-back champions.