FOXBOROUGH, MASS. – Tom Brady quashed most concerns about his right hand injury during warmups for the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium.
Brady reportedly needed stitches on his right thumb after handoff collision with Rex Burkhead on Wednesday and missed Thursday's practice, sending off all sorts of alarms in New England.
But Brady took the field Sunday without a glove on his right hand. He does have what appears to be black taping around the wrist and thumb area. He appeared to be throwing with his usual zip and accuracy throughout warmups.
Some speculated that Brady would need to work out of the shotgun more, but he did take at least one snap under center during warmups.
Jags not pushovers
Spend enough time analyzing teams, and you can convince yourself of anything. I heard the warnings when this AFC Championship Game matchup was set that no matter how you slice it, the Patriots weren't going to blink. Too much experience. Too much Belichick. Too much Brady and Gronk, etc.
But the more I study Jacksonville, the more I like. It starts with the pass rush. The key to beating the Patriots is applying pressure on Brady, especially up the middle, and the Jaguars can get after you. Here's Sacksonville's starting D-line:
DE Yannick Ngakoue: 12 regular season sacks
NT Abry Jones: 1 sack
DT Malik Jackson: 8 sacks
DE Calais Campbell: 14.5 sacks
The Jaguars defense scored eight touchdowns this season. Ngakoue, in particular, is a force with his strip sacks. This has to be on Brady's mind, especially with his right thumb injury.
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