Maybe the New England Patriots are not quite as banged up as they seemed to be.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski, who injured his knee in a loss to the Denver Broncos two weeks ago, began practicing this week and was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. He even made the team flight to Houston Saturday, which is a big deal; the Patriots don’t have players make road trips unless they have a chance to play.
FanDuel’s Will Carroll reports that the plan is for Gronk to play:
Solid source tells me plan is for Gronkowski to play tomorrow. Will be checked in warm ups, used in limited situations.
— Will Carroll (@injuryexpert) December 13, 2015
This is nothing short of shocking. The initial expectation was that Gronk might be out multiple weeks and perhaps not be brought back until the playoffs. Now it looks like he may only miss one game.
Perhaps the Patriots’ two-game losing streak that now has them in position to miss a bye in the AFC playoffs has resulted in more urgency for the team. Getting Gronk back would be a huge boost. Even if he can only play in limited situations, any time he’s out there is helpful to the club.
