Rob Gronkowski misses 3rd straight practice, ruled out vs. 49ers

The lung injury suffered by Rob Gronkowski will keep the New England Patriots tight end out of action in Week 11.

Gronkowski missed practice again Friday, marking his third straight day sidelined. That dropped his chances of coming back to play the San Francisco 49ers significantly and he was officially ruled out when he didn’t take the trip Friday afternoon. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald has noted that its been “at least eight years” since a Patriots player was allowed to play after missing an entire week of practice.

The injury for Gronkowski came in the second quarter of a close game against the Seattle Seahawks when safety Earl Thomas hit him in the midsection. After the game, Gronkowski said Thomas was “like a missile” and it was “one of the hardest” hits he’s ever taken.

Gronkowski finished the game and was the target on the final offensive play of the game for the Patriots. Later, there were reports that he finished the game with a punctured lung, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that’s inaccurate and the injury is not “overly serious.”

Still, it’s serious enough to keep Gronkowski out of the lineup. Most are calling it a perforated lung, although the Patriots have not confirmed what exactly the injury is.

But even with the four-time Pro Bowl tight end out of action, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots won’t be able to find points against the 49ers. No team has allowed more yards or points than San Francisco and opposing running backs are averaging 5.1 yards per carry against the team.