Tom Brady Injury Update: New England Quarterback Will Play Despite Injury To Throwing Hand
Okay, New England Patriots fans – it is time to breathe that sigh of relief: Tom Brady will take the snaps for the Pats on Sunday in Foxborough as he and his teammates look to continue their quest for a second consecutive Superbowl. The superstar quarterback injured a hand in practice Wednesday but X-rays were taken and reports say they came back negative.
So Tom Terrific is good to go.
With a backup quarterback New England signed in October who’s completed just four passes as a Patriot since his arrival, the thought of Brady not playing surely had New England fans, and many NFL fans who want to see a great game, in agony.
Typically for the Pats and coach Bill Belichick, little was said about the injury Wednesday, and given Belichick’s history for doing absolutely anything for a win, the injury may have been little more than an excuse for Brady to miss interviews with media taking place yesterday.
The Patriots said Brady, one of only two players in the NFL’s history to win five Superbowls (former San Francisco 49er and Dallas Cowboy Charles Haley is the other), jammed his throwing hand Wednesday in practice when an unnamed teammate accidentally ran into him. He had difficulty throwing and was placed on the injury report, they said, and would be with medical staff and unavailable to media.
But today, numerous reporters on the ground say Brady’s injury is not serious enough to prevent him from throwing and playing. One is NFL Network and NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, who tweeted today that the 40-year-old quarterback and his hand are good to go.
#Patriots QB Tom Brady’s right hand “should be OK,” per someone close to him. Another source said simply, “He will play” after his hand was on the injury report.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 18, 2018
Brady has a massive playoff resume, having started 35 postseason games (an NFL record) and winning 26 of them (a record). He has completed 866 postseason passes for 9,431 yards and 66 touchdowns (all those numbers, also records) and rushed for 6 touchdowns. He also has a record 12 postseason games in which he’s passed for over 300 yards.
His back-up, the veteran Brian Hoyer, has completed 15 postseason passes, all for the Houston Texans in a wildcard game two years ago that the Texans lost, 30-0, to the Kansas City Chiefs. Hoyer did not complete a touchdown pass in the game but he did “complete” four interceptions. So Patriot fans can indeed breath a sigh of relief.
The 2018 AFC Championship game kicks off Sunday at 3:05 EST.
