FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski sat out Thursday’s practice – the team’s last workout before its playoff game Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Gronkowski also missed Tuesday’s practice with the knee injury that he sustained in November. He practiced Wednesday but was listed on the injury report as a “limited” participant.
divisional round
Saturday
• Kansas City (12-5) at New England (12-4), 4:35 p.m. (CBS)
• Green Bay (11-6) at Arizona (13-3), 8:15 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday
• Seattle (11-6) at Carolina (15-1), 1:05 p.m. (FOX)
• Pittsburgh (11-6) at Denver (12-4), 4:40 p.m. (CBS)
An update to the injury report Thursday said he also had a back injury.
According to ESPN, Gronkowski spent part of Thursday in a Boston hospital getting treatment on his injured right knee, which included an injection, according to a source familiar with the procedure. The team believes Gronkowski will play Saturday, but will ultimately need to see how Gronkowski feels on game day.
Gronkowski sustained a bruise/strain of his right knee Nov. 29 against the Denver Broncos, then missed the Dec. 6 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He returned Dec. 13 against the Houston Texans and was removed from the team’s injury report the next week.
The Pro Bowl tight end played 55 of 60 snaps in the regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins. He was the team’s leading receiver this season with 72 catches for 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns.
CHIEFS: Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was at practice during the early portion open to the media for the first time this week.
Maclin, who has a high-ankle sprain, worked off to the side and did not participate in drills with other receivers.
Maclin led the Chiefs in the regular season with 87 receptions and 1,088 receiving yards.
TITANS: Tennessee finally found its new general manager, just as the team’s search for a head coach is getting started.
The Titans agreed to terms with Jon Robinson, Tampa Bay’s director of player personnel, as their new general manager. Robinson confirmed an agreement. The Titans have not yet announced the deal.
A native of Union City, Tennessee, Robinson just finished his second season running Tampa Bay’s scouting department, and overseeing both college and pro scouting.
He started in the NFL as an area scout for New England in 2002, then a regional scout in 2006 before becoming the Patriots’ director of college scouting between 2009 and 2013.
The Patriots won 10 division titles, four AFC titles and two Super Bowls during his tenure.
Robinson replaces Ruston Webster, who was fired Jan. 4 after the Titans went 5-27 the past two seasons.
JETS: General Manager Mike Maccagnan said the team would like to re-sign Pro Bowl defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, and that using the franchise tag on him or another scheduled free agent is “absolutely” a possibility.
In a meeting with reporters, Maccagnan said Wilkerson is looking at about a six-month recovery from a broken leg. He said the injury will not affect the Jets’ contract negotiations with Wilkerson.
The general manager said he was happy about the progress the team made under first-year coach Todd Bowles.
Maccagnan also said the Jets would like quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick – another scheduled free agent – back, but “we’ll see how this plays out.”
RAMS: Rams owner Stan Kroenke and others violated Missouri law by lying about their desire to keep the team in St. Louis, according to a lawsuit filed by fans that seeks class-action status and unspecified damages.
The suit was filed Wednesday in St. Louis Circuit Court, one day after NFL owners voted to allow the Rams to relocate to suburban Los Angeles for next season.
The suit alleges that Kroenke and chief operating officer Kevin Demoff made false and misleading statements over the years indicating the team had no intention of leaving St. Louis, violating Missouri’s Merchandising Practices Act. The law prohibits false statements in the sale or advertisement of trade or commerce. The suit claims the Rams violated the law in connection with the sale of tickets and merchandise.
VIKINGS: Minnesota kicker Blair Walsh said the messages sent to him by a group of first-graders after he missed the 27-yard field goal that would have won a playoff game for the Vikings were so touching that he visited the kids at school.
Walsh gave a pep talk, answered questions and roamed from room to room signing autographs at Northpoint Elementary in suburban Minneapolis.
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