The New England Patriots announced their inactive list for their Sunday night game in Arizona.
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Tight end Martellus Bennett, acquired in the offseason from the Bears, is next in line, although he did not play in either of the Patriots' final two preseason games. In particular, the Broncos' defense showed signs of the form that took them all the way to Super Bowl glory last season. The only official hint that the Patriots are likely to give before the release of the inactive lists on Sunday is whether or not Gronkowski travels with the team.
What: Arizona Cardinals vs. Tom Brady is serving the first leg of his four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate. Garoppolo has only thrown 31 passes in the regular season but the first of the four-game stretch could go a long way in determining his future. By half time the Broncos quarterback had only completed 8 of 12 passes for 92 yards, throwing one interception in the process. But for a brief moment in time, Gronkowski forgot to utter the robotic phrase "I'm just focused on the [insert team name here]".
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Patriots' offensive tackle Nate Solder and guard Jonathan Cooper also weren't on the trip to Arizona. But if Bennett gets going, it would open up the field for Garoppolo, and make things a lot easier. Arians said Garoppolo reminds him of a young Tony Romo. He doesn't get the ball out of his hands almost as quickly, and it's not almost as accurate.
If there was a positive to take from the drive, it was that the Cardinals needed an incredible 11 plays to move 47 yards. Arizona is opening at home for the third straight year in a row. The timetable for Gronk's return is going to be a week to week diagnosis.
OLD COACHES: The game features two of the three oldest coaches in the NFL: Belichick is 64, Arians 63. The re-match of last season's Super Bowl was a hard-fought affair, but ultimately the result came out the same as Super Bowl 50, with the Broncos taking the win.
The good news for the Patriots is that this isn't their first rodeo.
