The New England Patriots have finally received some good news on the injury front as Rob Gronkowski has been cleared to play Sunday when the team visits their division rival New York Jets at MetLife Stadium for Week 7 action.
Gronkowski has been sidelined all season after undergoing forearm and back surgery, and though he has practiced, he hasn't been 100 percent ready to return to an ailing New England lineup.
NESN reports that Gronkowski's agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed that the tight end has been cleared to play Sunday against New York. It has been noted that Gronkowski is not 100 percent slated to play this Sunday but since he's been cleared it is widely believed Bill Belichick will bring him into the action.
New England has been doing just fine under quarterback Tom Brady, but it hasn't been easy on the veteran signal caller, who has been surrounded by reserves rather than his usual steady array of targets through the first six weeks. Brady has led the team to a 5-1 record, but has been visibly frustrated on the field due to his lack of targets at times. Gronkowski has been one of Brady's favorite targets and go-to playmakers. Gronkowski has 187 receptions entering his fourth year with the Pats for 2,663 yards with 38 touchdowns, including a career-high 17 that came in the 2011 campaign.
And so Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski is a go.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 18, 2013
Brady has had to survive without Gronkowski and running back Shane Vereen (wrist), while receiver Danny Amendola (concussion) has only played in two games. Still, Brady orchestrated a game-winning drive that led to a touchdown late in the fourth quarter last Sunday against New Orleans, and has still put up some good numbers despite the receivers casted around him. Brady is 136-for-239 (56.9%) for 1,480 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions so far this year.
The Patriots were barely able to squeak out wins in the first two weeks of the season, hanging on for a 23-21 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 before squeezing past the Jets with a 13-10 victory in Week 2. New England showed much better form in Weeks 3 and 4 by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-3 and then the Atlanta Falcons 30-23 before losing its only game thus far of the season in a Week 5 defeat at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals 13-6. Last week's come-from-behind 30-27 victory over New Orleans was its best win to date, but New England could still use a boost on the injury front.
Gronkowski hasn't played since last year's divisional playoff win over the Houston Texans where he departed with a forearm injury before catching a single pass. He'll be eager to return Sunday.
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