FOXBORO – The league's premier quarterbacks take the field at Gillette Stadium as Tom Brady and the Patriots host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. Brady will be without the services of tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back Sony Michel, as the Pats aim to extend the Packers' road futility.
Join The Journal's team at Gillette Stadium for all of tonight's action.
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FOXBORO – The league's premier quarterbacks take the field at Gillette Stadium as Tom Brady and the Patriots host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. Brady will be without the services of tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back Sony Michel, as the Pats aim to extend the Packers' road futility.
Join The Journal's team at Gillette Stadium for all of tonight's action.
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Gronk, Michel inactive
The Patriots will be shorthanded in Sunday night’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Rob Gronkowski and Sony Michel are both inactive after being limited in three practice this past week.
Gronk suffered a back injury in Week 7 and missed the team’s win in Chicago. He returned to the field last week and played in Buffalo, but looked limited while catching three passes for 43 yards. The tight end practiced on Wednesday, but was absent on Thursday. He returned to practice on Friday, but again was limited. Gronkowski’s also dealing with an ankle injury.
It’s been a tough week for Gronk. On Wednesday, he ended his weekly press conference around the three-minute mark. While walking through the locker room, reporters saw the tight end complaining to members of the media relations staff after being questioned about his lack of red zone production and his confidence.
With Gronkowski out, the Patriots are down to one tight end – Dwayne Allen – since backup Jacob Hollister is also out due to a hamstring injury.
Michel’s absence on Sunday isn’t a big surprise. The rookie running back was carted off the field in Chicago with a knee injury. He sat out last week’s contest in Buffalo and was limited all this week. The Patriots got lucky that Michel’s injury wasn’t catastrophic. It’s smart of them to be cautious with their talented first-round pick.
The Patriots, however, are shorthanded. With Michel out, the Pats are left with two running backs – James White and Kenjon Barner. They played last week’s game with the same depth chart and that forced them to start the game with Cordarrelle Patterson in the backfield.
Also inactive for the Patriots is Cole Croston, Nichols Grigsby, Brian Schwenke and Shaq Mason. Right tackle Marcus Cannon returns after missing the last two games with a concussion.
Welcome to Gillette Stadium
Welcome to Gillette Stadium where the Patriots will take on the Green Bay Packers in their Week 9 matchup.
This will be the second Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers matchup for the two future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks. The Patriots, however, are already out one offensive starter and could be out a couple more as well.
According to ESPN, Rob Gronkowski (back/ankle) and Sony Michel (knee) are game-time decisions.
Gronk played in last week’s win over Buffalo, but missed the previous game against Chicago after suffering a back injury in Week 7. If the tight end can’t play, the Patriots will be left with Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister at tight end. Michel missed last week’s game after being carted off the field in Chicago. The Patriots lucked out since the rookie’s knee injury wasn’t catastrophic. If Michel can’t play the Patriots are left with two running backs – James White and Kenjon Barner.
The Patriots already ruled starting right guard Shaq Mason out. Mason suffered a calf injury in Buffalo. The team also ruled out backup guard Brian Schwenke, who’s been dealing with a foot injury.
Ted Karras is expected to fill in at guard. To add more depth, the Patriots promoted Kirk Ferentz from the practice squad.
Ferentz, 29, spent all of last season on the Patriots practice squad. He played two NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos from 2015-2016. During the 2015 season, he played in 14 games on offense and special teams. In 2016, he played in seven games for the Broncos. Ferentz is the son of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, a Bill Belichick coaching disciple.