Rob Gronkowski's suspension upheld, TE will miss Miami game

The NFL announced Tuesday afternoon that it has upheld the one-game suspension of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, which means he will sit out Monday’s game in Miami against the Dolphins.

Gronkowski’s ban was levied after a late hit in Sunday’s win over the Bills, where he delivered a shot to Buffalo defender Tre’Davious White following an interception. Gronkowski apologized for the late hit after the game, and expressed a level of frustration for the clutching and grabbing he has endured over the years.

BSJ analysis

As we wrote here on Monday, without Gronkowski in the lineup Monday against Miami, expect an increased level of responsibility across the board for New England’s skill position players, including backup tight ends Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister, as well as a burgeoning running game that rushed for 196 yards late last month against the Dolphins.

Bedard's take

Look, the only loser in all this is Gronkowski's pocketbook because of the effect it will have on his incentives, as Patscap documented. And I don't feel bad about that because Gronk brought this on himself with his action, which has no place in the game.

On the field, this shouldn't affect the Patriots at all. The Patriots can deal with not having Gronk against the Dolphins. Look for the running backs to have even more of a role.

At the end of the day, this will be a good thing for the Patriots. Gronk gets a week off to rest before the Steelers game, and we don't have to worry about him being in the game too long (like against the Bills) and being exposed to injury. Since Bill Belichick doesn't show any concern about keeping Gronk in blowouts after the game is decided, now the decision is out of Belichick's hands and we now know Gronk will be healthy for the biggest regular-season game of the season.