DENVER -- It looked bad for New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski on Sunday night, but today has brought good news for the team. Gronkowski's MRI on Monday revealed just a "minor knee strain", and his time frame to return is "a week or two most likely," according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

What this means is that the Patriots just need to buy some more time until his return, which is an end result they're surely thrilled about when it seemed worse as Gronkowski was carted off.

And that's really become the theme for the Patriots -- buying time -- as the calendar turns to December and they have the following games ahead:

Dec. 6: vs. Eagles

Dec. 13: at Texans

Dec. 20: vs. Titans

Dec. 27: at Jets

Jan. 3: at Dolphins

While every opponent deserves respect, this isn't a brutal stretch for the depleted Patriots, and should make it easier for them to buy the time they need for a growing list of banged-up players that includes Gronkowski (knee), linebacker Dont'a Hightower (knee), and receivers Julian Edelman (foot) and Danny Amendola (knee), among others.

So after a night in which the majority of breaks didn't go their way in Sunday night's loss to the Broncos (there are days like that in the NFL), they caught a big one with Gronkowski.

Yes, they still have important business to take care of, specifically earning a playoff berth that ideally would come with a first-round bye and home-field advantage.

Fortunately for them, they're still in position to check off all those boxes. And if they do, buying the time they need for Gronkowski & Co., they would be at full strength for when it counts most in the postseason.

That's a best-case scenario for them after seeing Gronkowski carted off on Sunday night.