Rob Gronkowski Not Expected to Play Sunday

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport said Gronk has a minor knee sprain

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport is reporting that New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski may only miss one game after injuring his knee against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.

Ian Rapoport later updated that after his MRI, Gronkowski learned he is facing a minor knee strain.

NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that sources have informed him that Gronkowski is not expected to play Sunday against the Eagles. His return date will be determined by his pain.

The Patriots and Gronkowski issued a statement on Tuesday saying that he suffered a "bone bruise/sprain of his right knee" during Sunday's game. The statement said Gronkowski's status will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.

"There is no timetable for his readiness to return, which will be determined in the days or hours prior to the appropriate game," the statement said. "Any timetable reported prior to that final determination would be speculative."

With about three minutes left in Sunday night's game, Gronkowski went down hard, appearing to injure his knee. He remained on the ground for several minutes before getting carted off the field. That led fans to think the worst, with some even starting up a #prayforgronk hashtag on Twitter.

Both NFL.com and ESPN had reported Sunday night that the injury did not appear to be serious. Quarterback Tom Brady said on WEEI-FM on Monday morning that Gronkowski was in "good spirits" on the flight back to Boston.

The Patriots are already short-handed due to injuries. Running back Dion Lewis is out for the year, and wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are also hurt.

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