Should the Patriots be worried about the Bills targeting Rob Gronkowski on Sunday?

Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White, who was the Buffalo player who sustained the late hit from Rob Gronkowski on Dec. 3 — a hit that got Gronkowski suspended for a game — saw some of his teammates hint that they’d like some payback on the Patriots tight end the next time the two teams met. But White sounded a peaceful note on Tuesday, telling Sirius XM Radio that beating the Patriots “would be the best revenge” for what happened to him earlier this month.

“As I’ve had time to think about it, I knew he wasn’t that type of player,” White said of Gronkowski. “We just honed in and moved on from it. But I get the film Sunday and the best way that I can handle that situation and just try to go in there and just get a big old ‘W’ in their stadium and help our playoff chances. So yeah, I’m not a guy who’s going to try to do a cheap shot after the whistle. Nothing. I’m gonna play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. Respect the game. Just like I said, going in there and winning would be the best revenge.”

So does that mean Gronkowski won’t have a bullseye on his back come Sunday?


In my opinion, yes. If these were the Rex Ryan era Bills coming into Gillette Stadium at, say, 3-11 with nothing to play for, then there would be legitimate cause for concern. Those Buffalo teams were some of the most undisciplined, highly-penalized teams in the league — in other words, the exact sort of team that might go out of their way to take a shot at Gronkowski.(Remember when they took a run at Jacoby Brissett before their 2016 game at Gillette Stadium?)

The good news? This isn’t that group. Through 14 games, the 2017 Bills have taken 88 penalties as a team (one more than the Patriots in that time), which is is roughly the middle of the pack when you compare them to the rest of the league. In addition, there have been just three unnecessary roughness calls against them, tied for the second-fewest in the NFL. They are a mostly disciplined bunch that plays (mostly) smart football.

It’s also worth mentioning that this Buffalo team has something to play for. It’s still in the playoff picture, albeit by the narrowest of margins. The Bills are 8-6, and have to hit all the right notes against the Patriots on Sunday if they want to win and remain in the hunt. An ill-timed penalty or the chance of one of their players being ejected lessens their chances of winning, and subsequently, ending their playoff drought.

Of course, none of this means that Gronkowski will be completely safe come Sunday. No one knows just what has been said about the Patriots' tight end, especially in the Buffalo defensive meeting rooms, in the wake of that game earlier this month. And even if coach Sean McDermott says otherwise, there's always the possibility that a rogue defensive back will go off-script, especially if this one gets out of hand. (In fact, if New England is up by double digits late in the fourth quarter, Gronkowski should be pulled.)

But ultimately, the belief here is that the Bills will likely be playing this one straight up with an eye toward winning in Foxborough. With the possibility of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1999 within sight, they can’t afford to lose their focus with some extracurricular activity that wouldn’t be a benefit to anyone in the long run.