Tom Brady Injury Update: New England Patriots Quarterback Will Play Against Jaguars

New England Patriots’ fans received a brief scare Wednesday when the team announced that Tom Brady would not be available to the media because he was meeting with the medical staff. The quarterback suffered a hand injury when one of his teammates accidentally ran into him during practice.

Brady was limited in practice because of his jammed throwing hand, though there doesn’t appear to be much cause for concern. X-rays were negative, and he’s expected to play Sunday afternoon against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2018 AFC Championship Game.

It’s unknown if Brady will practice Thursday afternoon.

A serious injury to Brady would be the last thing New England needs before their upcoming playoff game. The Patriots are facing the AFC’s best defense at Gillette Stadium, and Jacksonville allowed fewer passing yards during the regular season than any other NFL team.

Brian Hoyer is Brady's backup. He had a 74.1 passer rating in six starts with the San Francisco 49ers before being traded to New England in October.

Brady has been virtually indestructible since becoming New England’s starting quarterback in 2001. His only serious injury was a torn ACL that forced him to miss almost the entirety of the 2008 season. The quarterback has appeared on the injury report in other instances, but none of those issues have caused him to miss any games.

Despite turning 40 years old before the start of the regular season, Brady is probably on his way toward winning the third MVP award of his career. He led the league with 4,577 passing yards, posting a 102.8 passer rating with 32 touchdown passes and eight interceptions.

A healthy Brady gives the Patriots an enormous advantage at quarterback Sunday. Blake Bortles entered the postseason as arguably the worst starting quarterback on any of the playoff teams, though he has gone undefeated in his first two playoff starts.

Brady has already made 35 playoff starts in his career. Sunday will mark his 12th appearance in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots are 7-4 in conference title games with Brady under center, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers on their way toward another Super Bowl title last year.

New England is a heavy favorite to defeat Jacksonville at home Sunday. The Patriots will face either the Minnesota Vikings or Philadelphia Eagles if they reach Super Bowl LII.