The much anticipated news out of Foxborough has finally hit Patriots fans near and far, as All-Pro tight end, Rob Grokowski has been medically cleared to play.
What has been a roller coaster of hearsay from team officials, to the Patriots medical staff, even to Gronkowski’s own father, the time has finally come for everyone to stop the speculation and prepare for his much-anticipated debut this weekend against the hated 3-3 New York Jets.
Coming off a stunning victory last Sunday afternoon versus the New Orleans Saints, the Patriots look to carry that momentum over to a curious and upstart Jets bunch.
Since 2010, New England is 6-2 vs. the Jets, and with an absolute up and down season for the porous Jets, a questionable—and still very green—rookie quarterback in rookie Geno Smith and a ragtag Patriots receiving core that just may finally have their missing link back, Sunday’s divisional grudge match up could very well be a coin flip.
Two weeks ago, Smith had the game of his life, that was two weeks ago, reality check and you have Smith of last week versus the Steelers, whom provided no sense of offensive continuity for the Jets.
What has kept this team together—and what shall prove to be the Patriots biggest challenge—is the always-stout Jets defense. They are 4th best in the NFL in yards allowed per game with just over 303 yards and they are the 2nd best team in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game with a stingy 75.7
New England’s running game on paper is fair, averaging just over 4 yards per carry, but the running game has seen it’s up and downs with not a single one of the Patriots running backs seeing consistent first down looks.
Brady went into vintage mode in last Sunday’s epic duel with Drew Brees, and only one can imagine how excited he is too see his security blanket in Gronkowski being back on the field will provide New England’s otherwise stagnant red-zone offense.
In this writer’s opinion, there are two keys to the Pats finding a victory, establish the running game early, and do not force instant productivity out of Gronk.
Steven Michelson is the New England Patriots Beat Writer for The Inscriber : Digital Magazine, please follow him on Twitter at @steveandubshow
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
