New England Patriots Gameday: Rob Gronkowski will go beast mode on Jags

The New England Patriots face their greatest challenge of the season in Week 2 when they take on Jalen Ramsey and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

 If this rematch of the AFC Championship Game between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars wasn’t already big enough, it was made bigger now that the spotlight is on the most dominant tight end in the NFL and one of the premier young cornerbacks in the league.

The greatest of Rob Gronkowski has been challenged many times throughout the years, but his sustained dominance will get a big test.

When Jaguars All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey said Gronkowski wasn’t all that great, the NFL world awakened.  Whether this was just trash talk to try to get in the big tight end’s head will be a moot point when the game gets underway.  We all know the Patriots and Gronkowski ignored the noise, but Ramsey stuck behind his words.

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He has no fear of Rob Gronkowski and put the challenge on Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense to prove their most dynamic playmaker is an unstoppable force.

"“I don’t fear no man, period,” Ramsey said Thursday afternoon.  “So he’s going to have to come out there and line up on me.  Or however it goes.  He’s got to play us this year.”"

Now, Gronkowski was knocked out of the AFC Championship Game with a concussion before halftime.  If he played that entire game, perhaps Ramsey’s thoughts and motivation would be completely different. The 6-foot-6, 268-pound tight end is difficult to deal with unless he is double or tripled team.  Even then, some teams have trouble dealing with his size and athleticism.

Can Ramey provide the blueprint to limiting Rob Gronkowski?

He is sure putting himself in the spotlight and has caught the attention of Brady, who will look to expose him when Gronkowski is matched up against him.  Knowing the New England Patriots and their unpredictability, they could just use Gronk as a decoy in this game.

Then again, probably not.  Rob Gronkowski is motivated and when he is motivated, he becomes a beast on the field.  The Pittsburgh Steelers found that out in Week 15 last season and so did the Houston Texans in Week 1.

Be careful what you ask for Jalen Ramsey, you’ll get your opportunity on a late Sunday afternoon in September.

How to watch New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Location: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Kickoff: Sunday, Sept 16, 4:25 p.m. ET

TV: CBS (Check local listings)

Streaming:  fuboTV

 Week 2 Prediction:

The spotlight will be on the Rob Gronkowski and Jalen Ramsey matchup, but overall it will be on the New England Patriots offense.  Going up against a very talented Jacksonville Jaguars defense, Tom Brady will be challenged to find some kind of rhythm.  If he doesn’t find it with Gronkowski, other players will need to step up and find ways to separate from Jaguar defenders.

The Patriots are expected to approach this game with a short passing game.  Don’t be surprised if they challenge Jacksonville deep in hopes of drawing pass interference penalties against an aggressive unit of defensive backs.  This could also be a game in which first-round pick Sony Michel not only makes his NFL debut, but shows a glimpse of the kind of player he will be in the New England Patriots offense.

Overall, not worried about the Patriots’ defense against Blake Bortles.  The offense will struggle at first, but the New England Patriots fight in this once and eventually runaway late in the third quarter to a 24-10 victory.