The New England Patriots could not afford any more injuries. The team already lost Dion Lewis, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola for either the season or lengthy stretches of time and they simply cannot afford to see anyone else go down. However, in the loss to the Denver Broncos the team's most important player outside of Tom Brady was carted off the field as concern grows around the severity of Rob Gronkowski's knee injury.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Gronkowski's knee injury does not appear to be serious, but the tight end will undergo further testing before the Patriots make a call on what his status is going forward. The tight end went down in the fourth quarter and had to be carted off the field. He was present in the locker room when the media entered, but did not answer any questions. He was seen walking around, but with a noticeable limp.
There is no question that losing Gronkowski would be devastating to the Patriots. The team has lost Lewis for the season. Edelman is out until the postseason. Amendola missed Week 12 and could sit out for a longer period of time as well. Gronkowski is the team's most valuable player and having him go down could mean more losses for New England.
"I hate to see it, but it really is the only way defenders can hit now," Brady said, via ESPN.com. "I bet if you asked the players, they would really rather go high than low. I don't think it's dirty. I just think that is how football is played now. He has been through a lot. He is a tough guy.'
In the short term, Scott Chandler could take over as the starting tight end. He has had a solid year with the Patriots running tandem with Gronkowski. He put up 58 yards on five catches along with one touchdown in the loss to the Denver Broncos. That should have confidence in high that he can manage the spot if Gronkowski were to miss any time. With the severity of the injury unknown, it is unclear just what the tight end's availability will be.
"We're going to need to rely on him quite a bit," Brady said, via MassLive.com. "So I think one way or another he's going to have to be a major contributor for our team. And we'll see how it goes going forward."
The Patriots are hopeful they can get back Amendola for Week 12. The receiver has been dealing with a knee injury suffered on Monday Night Football. He did some light practicing during the week, but was ruled out for the matchup. In his place, Keshawn Martin stepped up and got time on the field. Brandon Bolden also had a solid game as the passing-down running back. He put up four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. That was still not enough to beat the Broncos. New England will face the Eagles in Week 13 and it remains to be seen just how short-handed they will be.
