Rob Gronkowski Could Return In Week 3; Patriots Host Buccaneers Sunday

A winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers team visits the undefeated New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in Week 3 of the NFL season. This is an early afternoon 1 pm ET kickoff, matching the NFC South and AFC East.

Sunday could represent the return of New England tight end Rob Gronkowski. That could be great news for the Patriots, who could desperately use him. Brady and the New England offense hasn’t been the same with the loss of so many key positions.

If Gronkowski is in the lineup Brady might be the happiest guy on the field, after showing visible signs of frustration last Thursday night in a sloppy win over the New York Jets. Of course even if the tight end is on the field, let’s not forget he is coming back from a couple of offseason surgeries so his performance and what to expect should be dialed down a bit.

Looking at the Buccaneers, there hasn’t been a team in the league with more heartbreaking losses in the first two weeks. Both defeats have come at the hands of last-second field goals. The latest was a 17-16 loss to New Orleans. In Week 1 it was an 18-17 defeat to the the Jets.

The Tampa Bay defense has looked pretty good, but the offense has not produced like some thought they might. Doug Martin has been slowed, and quarterback Josh Freeman has shown nothing to cause opposing defenses to respect the pass.

This one looks like it could fall on the shoulders of the Buccaneers defense once again, to try and stop Brady. Dashon Goldson is appealing his suspension, so it’s not yet known if he will miss this one. It could be a very big loss.