Rob Gronkowski will be a non-factor in the New England Patriots’ game against the Buffalo Bills on Monday, according to the Bills.
Buffalo didn’t do a very good job against the Patriots tight end in their Week 2 matchup — a 40-32 loss — allowing Gronkowski to rack up 113 yards and a touchdown on just seven catches. But Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore said Week 11 will be a different story.
“We got a game plan to take him out of the game,” Gilmore said Tuesday, per ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak. “We’re going to be ready for him.”
Gilmore pointed to the New York Giants’ performance against Pats quarterback Tom Brady in Week 10 as a way the Bills could slow down Gronk.
“(The Giants were) getting to him,” Gilmore said. “They (were) getting to Tom Brady, getting him off his spot. They (were) sacking him and they are playing tight coverage on the back end. So first of all, you have to get to him to make him mess up.”
However, head coach Rex Ryan wasn’t too sure the pass rush would be the answer come Monday, referencing Brady’s NFL-low 2.13 seconds per pass.
“(If) the guy is throwing the ball in under two seconds, it is hard to get pressure on a guy,” Ryan said Tuesday, per Rodak. “You know to get sacks and stuff is not going to happen. If he wants it out of his hands he is going to get it out of his hands, and he did. We got to tighten up what we do coverage wise. There is no question about it. Like I said, we will see how much we improved from that time.”
It looks like the Bills will have to just wait and see if they really can take care of Brady, Gronkowski and the rest of the 9-0 Patriots.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
