Nobody will ever question Rob Gronkowski's toughness.

The towering New England Patriots tight end tried to play on Sunday, two weeks after suffering a punctured lung. But Gronkowski left Sunday's game against the New York Jets in the first quarter with what the Patriots said was a back injury and later announced after halftime that he would not return.

Gronkowski's injured lung occurred when he was hit by Seahawks safety Earl Thomas during Seattle's 31-24 win on November 13. He missed last week's 30-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers and surprisingly returned to practice this week, though on a limited basis.

Gronkowski did not have any catches on Sunday prior to his exit, playing just seven of a possible 12 snaps. He entered the game with 25 catches for a team-high 540 yards and three touchdowns. 

He was listed as questionable to play on Sunday, but probably should have been held out at least another week.