New England Patriots

Rob Gronkowski will miss Week 1: 3 New England Patriots ripple effects

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Rob Gronkowski (87) New England Patriots – Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

As you have probably heard by now, the New England Patriots will be without Rob Gronkowski when they open the 2016 regular season tomorrow night.

Here are three ripple effects of the New England Patriots sidelining Rob Gronkowski for Week 1:

Ripple Effect 1: Martellus Bennett, A.J. Derby will see more action

Without Gronkowski on the field, expect Martellus Bennett and A.J. Derby to become more involved in the passing game. In particular, Bennett will be an integral part of the aerial attack as the No. 1 tight end. The Patriots got the veteran tight end heavily involved during the preseason, so hopefully that practice time with Jimmy Garoppolo will translate into success on the field.

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In addition, sophomore pro Derby will probably seen a few extra balls thrown his way without Gronk heading the depth chart. Throughout the preseason, Derby was the superior pass catcher in comparison to fellow depth tight end Clay Harbor, leading this writer to believe that he should record his first career NFL catch (the Arkansas product missed his entire rookie year due to injury).

Julian Edelman (11) New England Patriots – Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Ripple Effect 2: Julian Edelman will be top target for Jimmy G

Even more so now that Gronkowski won’t be on the field, Julian Edelman will be Garoppolo’s go-to target tomorrow night. Edelman excels at getting open in tight spaces; Garoppolo is going to need that option at his fingertips if he’s going to have any chance of piloting the Patriots to victory. So hopefully, Edelman gets open early and often against the Cardinals.

When Edelman and Gronkowski are on the field at the same time, defensive coordinators suffer headaches trying to figure out how to cover them both. But with just Edelman to worry about out of that lethal pair, the Cardinals will have an easier time defending the pass.

Further ripple effects of this ripple effect include increased targets for wideouts Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell. But the main beneficiary from this shakeup in distribution of targets is Edelman.

However, the largest ripple effect of Gronkowski missing out on Week 1 is…

LeGarrette Blount (29) New England Patriots – Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

3. Run game MUST be established.

This writer has been saying it all week, but now there is added urgency. The Patriots absolutely must establish the run in the first quarter and stick with it all game (score depending, of course). Garoppolo will be pretty near doomed if he has to shoulder the whole offensive load by himself.

Front and center of the rushing attack will be LeGarrette Blount, a guy who this writer predicted will surpass 1,000 yards rushing on the season. Blount is perhaps the biggest key to the Patriots’ success in Week 1, as a potent ground threat will go a long way toward keeping the Arizona pass rushing stable at bay.

Even if Tom Brady was playing in this game, it would still be essential to get the ground game going. At age 39, Brady shouldn’t be expected to carry the entire team on his back like he has in some years this decade.

In closing, the Patriots’ 2016 story will be dictated by the health of their Blount-led running game. The absence of Gronkowski in Week 1 will jump-start that effort.

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