Gronk Says “Get Off Me!”

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is extremely tough to bring down in the open field, as his mix of size and athleticism makes tackling him a difficult task. Chiefs safety Ron Parker learned that lesson late in Sunday’s game, when Gronk sent him to the ground with authority.

It happened in the fourth quarter, after Gronk caught a pass from Tom Brady, and was looking to rack up yards following the catch. Parker tracked him well, but as soon as he put his hands on Gronk, the Patriots tight end threw him to the ground with a powerful stiff-arm. This was a huge move that catapulted the Pats to victory.  The Patriots were favored to win the game at sites like www.novibet.co.uk and Gronk’s play was a big reason that New England did.  Fans who bet the “over” also game out on top with 83 combined points scored this game.

That looked like it hurt.

 

Brady Backs Gordon

Brady took to Instagram on Saturday, and he appeared to throw some support behind receiver Josh Gordon. The Patriots traded for Gordon roughly four weeks ago, and the team has been slowly working him into the offense. He’s been battling a hamstring injury, but managed two catches for 50 yards (one touchdown) — his biggest output of the season — in the team’s win over the Colts.

Gordon has a favorable matchup against the Chiefs porous secondary, and Brady may look to exploit it. His Instagram post on Saturday suggests as much, as it showed an animated picture of Gordon preparing to catch a football, with a caption that stated “Attack” accompanying it.

Gordon could have his breakout game on Sunday, and Brady appears to believe he’ll be key in attacking the Chiefs defense.

Nink puts Kelce on Blast

The Patriots tend to let their play on the field do the talking, rather than attempting to provide their opponents with bulletin-board material. There hasn’t really been any trash talk, and instead, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick actually heaped praise on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

And given that both teams have remained quiet, a former Patriots linebacker is picking up the slack, as it relates to trash talk. Rob Ninkovich, who played for the team from 2009-16, recently made an appearance on XTRA 1360 AM Fox Sports San Diego’s “Hardwick and Richards,” and he absolutely blasted Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

“I mean I’ve played against Kelce, and I’ve thrown him around like he’s a little doll,” Ninkovich said on Friday. “The guy doesn’t want to block, so when you’re a tight end and you don’t want to block, you’re not really a tight end.”

He then pointed out that Kelce doesn’t like to block, calling him a “glorified receiver.”

“He just wants to catch the ball and do his little dance and, you know, put the stripes in the side of his head with the haircuts he gets,” Ninkovich said. “So, I just think that he’s a glorified receiver.”

Ninkovich also said he believes Rob Gronkowski is the best tight end to ever play the game, when asked to compare the Patriots tight end to Kelce.

It’s unclear why Ninkovich has a bone to pick with Kelce, but he clearly isn’t a fan of the Chiefs tight end. Maybe he’s just trying to support his former team by getting in Kelce’s head, or maybe he’s just trying to stay relevant. Whatever the reason, Sunday night’s game figures to be the most entertaining matchup thus far this season, and it should feature a plethora of points.