Rob Gronkowski will not be on hand to help Tom Brady in their matchup against Bill Belichick and the Patriots.ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that Gronkowski will not travel to New England, and he will mi s the "Sunday Night Football" matchup against the Patriots.Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski is not making the trip to New England today due to his rib injury and he will be out Sunday night vs. New England, per sources. Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) MORE:| Schefter later followed up to Chris Beck Jersey say that he suffered multiple fractured ribs in the Buccaneers' lo s to the Rams last Sunday.Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski suffered multiple Jack Flaherty Jersey fractured ribs last Sunday that threaten to sideline him for multiple weeks, sources tell ESPN.Initial X-rays were clean but follow up MRIs were not. We held out hope all week hed be ready, said one source. Hes a different breed. Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) However, it wasn't just fractured ribs the four-time All-Pro suffered.As Fox's Jay Glazer reported, the extent of Gronkowski's injuries was worse than fractured ribs.. tells me he actually has four cracked ribs, one broken rib and a punctured lung which is about the only thing that would have kept him out of this game! So much more damage than was out there. Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) Gronkowksihas been off to a fast start this season as he's hauled in 16 pa ses for 184 yards with four John Gant Jersey touchdowns. He opened the 2021 campaign with back-to-back games with two touchdown receptions.While all eyes will be on the return of Brady to New England, it would also have marked the first time Gronkowski has returned to face off against his old team. He spent the first nine seasons of his career under Belichick. He caught 521 pa ses with 79 touchdowns and 7,861 yards.MORE:The Buccaneers have plenty of depth at tight end to be able to replace Gronkowski. O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate have both been standout receiving options in the past, though they've only combined for seven receptions for 75 yards this season.Howard started his careerwith two consecutive campaigns of at least five receiving touchdowns and three straight seasons with at least 400 receiving yards. Brate had back-to-back 500-yard receiving seasons in 2016 and 2017 in Tampa Bay. Both saw their usage in the Rangel Ravelo Jersey pa sing game diminish with Harrison Bader Jersey Gronkowski joining Brady last season.In his first season in Tampa Bay, Gronkowski caught 45 pa ses for 623 yards and seven touchdowns.MORE:The Patriots so far have been strong defending against tight ends. They are tied for an NFL-low four receptions and 27 receiving yards allowed to tight ends through the first three games of the season. Overall, New England has allowed the second-fewest pa sing yards to opponents this season at just 479. There has only been three pa sing touchdowns allowed by New England, while its defense has picked off five pa ses.