The last time we saw the Patriots on the field, they were losing to the Ravens on Sunday night in an outing that renewed some questions about how good their offense is this year.
Any time that topic comes up, it’s a safe bet that Rob Gronkowski’s name will come up as well. As PFT noted before the Baltimore game, Gronkowski has until November 30 to return to action this year and that prospect came up during quarterback Tom Brady’s Monday appearance on WEEI.
Brady has said in the past that he won’t lobby Gronkowski about returning and stuck to that on Monday. He also said “our team is what it is” and that they will need to step up their game in order to build on what they’ve already done this season.
“I said last week, to be 8-1 and have the opportunity in the second half of the year that we do, I think anyone would take that,” Brady said. “It hasn’t all been perfect, but it’s been good enough in some areas. We’re really going to have to really ramp it up and play our best as we go forward. Hopefully it will be a great second half of the season. It’s really up to us to earn it, the people that are in the locker room have to show up to work every day with a great sense of determination, commitment to doing our best for each other, for the team, and try and go get a win. It starts this week in Philly.”
The Eagles game kicks off a run of four straight games against teams that currently have winning records and getting through it without the kind of stumble they experienced against the Ravens will make it all but impossible to envision anyone else as the No. 1 seed in the AFC come the postseason.