Patriots fans will undoubtedly breathe a sigh of relief after reading the next line:
Tight end Rob Gronkowski is inactive for Sunday's contest with the Buffalo Bills.
Already having locked up the No. 1 seed there was little reason to risk an injury to Tom Brady's most significant weapon in a meaningless game.
Bill Belichick sat several other starters including Julian Edelman, Sebastian Vollmer, Dont'a Hightower, Brandon Browner and Dan Connolly.
Expect other starters, such as Brady and dinged up running backs LeGarrette Blount and Shane Vereen to sit down early in this contest regardless of the score.
Some other active/inactive news we are following:
- Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs is active.
- Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro has taken another step backwards and is inactive. Vaccaro wasn't on the Saints injury report this week.
- Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer is inactive, negating any of the small chance he could have had to see the field with a bum shoulder. Cornerback Justin Gilbert is also inactive against the Ravensafter being late to a team meeting on Saturday.
- Jets wide receiver Percy Harvin was optimistic he would play, but was listed as inactive.
- Eagles cornerback Bradley Fletcher is inactive against the Giants.
- Chargers running back Ryan Mathews (ankle) and wide receiver Keenan Allen (collarbone) are both inactive against the Chiefs. San Diego needs a victory to advance to the playoffs.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast previews the biggest matchups in Week 17 and makes its picks for the last week of the season. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
