Gronk torches Cowboys on FOX pregame ahead of narrow win vs Texans

Over the course of Rob Gronkowski’s NFL career, he managed to bowl over the Dallas Cowboys on numerous occasions, suiting up for the league’s preeminent dynasty in New England before moving on to Tampa Bay and ripping the ‘Boys’ hearts out one final time in 2021.

Now, Gronk — while waiting for his next un-retirement — sits on the FOX NFL Sunday set most weeks, pontificating as only he can: by blurting out unfiltered thoughts and trying to elicit “OhhhOOOHHHH!” noises from Jimmie Johnson and Michael Strahan.

Prior to Sunday’s Cowboys-Texans game, Gronk chose to come to the ardent defense of the Minnesota Vikings’ place in the NFC, a curious decision considering their underwhelming point differential, recent defensive struggles and whopping 40-3 loss to Dallas means you don’t exactly have to squint to claim they’re smoke-and-mirrors.

Instead of calling it the way ESPN sees it, with the Cowboys and Eagles battling it out to be the NFC’s most prominent Super Bowl contenders, Gronk took up arms for Minnesota instead. Maybe because they waxed his Patriots on Thanksgiving Day, something he’d like to feel better about?

Regardless, puff Minnesota up all you want, but no need to call the Cowboys “pretenders every single year,” especially considering this new Doomsday Defense shares almost no DNA with the previous generation of disappointments.

Are the 2022 Dallas Cowboys contenders or pretenders? Don’t ask Rob Gronkowski.

Of course Gronk just had to pick the one week where Dallas actually looked like decoys rather than aggressors against Houston. Of course he did.

Luckily, Dak Prescott had 98 yards’ worth of a counterpoint to Gronk, leading Dallas in the type of last-second charge (following a defensive stand by DeMarcus Lawrence) that they haven’t pulled off nearly often enough over the past few decades.

Plus, to add insult to injury, while the Cowboys looked rough and won, Gronk’s Vikings got stomped by the Detroit Lions, who suddenly look like a more viable contender than Kirk Cousins’ bunch.

Dallas is nearly assured of the NFC’s No. 5 side regardless of what Minnesota does, and will probably have to start their playoff journey on the road … in Tampa Bay. If Tom Brady’s bunch plays like they did Sunday against the 49ers, not even four Gronks can save them.

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