Tom Brady will start AFC title game despite hand injury, but will it affect him?

Henry Bushnell
·Senior soccer reporter

Tom Brady, as expected, will start Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Jacksonville Jaguars despite injuring his throwing hand during practice on Wednesday, according to various reports Sunday morning.

The New England Patriots had listed Brady as questionable, but there was never a chance he’d miss the game.

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Tom Brady has been wearing gloves on both hands in practice. (Getty)
Tom Brady has been wearing gloves on both hands in practice. (Getty)

There are, according to reports, questions about whether the hand injury will affect Brady, but the Boston Globe cited a source who said the Patriots are expecting their quarterback to play without “any major problems.”

Ed Werder tweeted that the Pats “don’t expect [the injury] to be a significant factor.”

Brady suffered the injury in practice Wednesday. His right hand collided with teammate Rex Burkhead, and sustained a cut, per reports. He reportedly underwent a precautionary X-ray, which game back negative, but received stitches to the hand. He then wore gloves on both hands the rest of the week.

Because it’s Brady, the glove became a massive, blown-out-of-proportion story. Brady even had some fun with it, wearing gloves to his Friday news conference, at which he refused to say anything of substance.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter last night, Brady will “probably” wear a glove on his throwing hand to protect the stitches in his hand.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday, however, that Brady could try to play without the glove:

As of Sunday morning, it was 37 degrees and sunny in Foxborough, where the Patriots and Jaguars kick off at 3:05 p.m. ET. Rapoport also tweeted that Brady took half his reps at Friday’s practice without a glove:

Brady, in typical Brady fashion, arrived at Gillette Stadium knowing his right hand would be the subject of all kinds of frenzied interest. So, naturally, he didn’t take it out of his pocket:

ESPN’s Dianna Russini tweeted that Brady often holds his bag with his right hand. On Sunday morning, with cameras on him, the bag was over his left shoulder.