New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski could miss only one game with a right knee injury suffered in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s 30-24 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos.
ESPN footage showed Gronkowski walking from the X-ray room to the Patriots’ locker room with a slight limp but based on reports Monday, the injury is not serious and he could return to the field as early as Sunday night at Houston.
A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter about Gronkowski: “We think he is going to be OK.” Another source told ESPN’s Dianna Russini that an MRI confirmed Gronkowski has a bruised right knee, but no damage to the ligaments.
Gronkowski was in the locker room walking around as reporters entered but did not answer questions after the Broncos handed the Patriots their first loss of the season.
Gronkowski cut through bad weather and the Broncos’ defense to make six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown before being knocked out of the game.
He suffered the injury with 2:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Broncos defensive back Darian Stewart hit him low on an incomplete pass. Gronkowski’s leg whipped back as it made contact with Stewart.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said those hits are the extension of the league’s emphasis on avoiding hits to the head. Brady said he doesn’t think a player like Stewart has any choice but to go low when trying to make a tackle.
“I hate to see it, but it’s really the only way for defenders to hit now,” Brady said after the game. “I bet if you asked a lot of players they’d probably rather you go high than low. You go low, that’s what happens. I don’t think it’s dirty, I just think that’s the way football is being played now.”
Gronkowski’s presence in the locker room immediately after the game was viewed as an encouraging sign.
“Hopefully it’s not too serious. Our fingers are crossed,” Brady said.
Gronkowski broke his forearm Nov. 18, 2012 and tore his ACL on Dec. 8, 2013.
“He has been through a lot. He is a tough guy,” Brady said.
During his his regular appearance on Boston’s WEEI radio station on Monday, Brady was upset with the loss but motivated to get back to his winning ways.
“It was a very hard loss,” he said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so visibly [upset] after a loss. And I think everyone felt the same way. Hopefully we can use it as motivation going forward,” he added, explaining that it was upsetting how the game’s final 20 minutes played out.
There was room for frustration and complaint after the Patriots squandered a 21-7 lead as they muffed a punt, lost Gronkowski and were on the wrong side of a number of borderline officiating calls.
“Like I said, there’s things that we could have done better. And it’s certainly not to leave it up to a call here or a call there or one player,” Brady said.
Brady rattled off details of calls that went against the injury-hit Pats during the 30-24 loss and some that could have been called on Denver. After getting that off his chest, the man with four Super Bowl rings put his business face back on.
“There’s things across the board that we need to do a better job of and we can do a better job of. And that’s what the focus is going to be this week,” said Brady, whose freshly motivated Patriots host a Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) team on Sunday that have lost three consecutive games.