One-game suspension upheld for Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski

USA Today

The New England Patriots continue to cruise through the 2017 NFL season. With Tom Brady and company being arguably one of the best teams in the league, they inch closer to defending their Super Bowl title. However, they will be without star tight end Rob Gronkowski this week due to suspension.

Gronkowski was suspended for one game due to his late hit on Tre’Davious White of the Buffalo Bills. There was talk of the suspension potentially being overturned by the league, but that no longer is the case, according to ESPN.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski’s one-game suspension for a late hit in Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills has been upheld after an appeal, the NFL announced Tuesday.

Playoffs

The Patriots will face another division rival this week with Bill Belichick’s squad set to take on the Miami Dolphins. Losing Gronkowski to the one-game suspension is costly as he’s arguably Brady’s best option in the passing game. However New England is as good as any team in the NFL in terms of adjusting without their best players.

As expected, the Patriots remain the favorite to come out on top against the Dolphins this week. New England is heavily favored (-11.5) and may very well still cover that large spread even without their superstar tight end on the field this weekend.

With a win over the Dolphins, the Patriots would improve to 11-2 on the season. Will they take one step closer to potentially clinching a first-round bye in the playoffs?