The status of Tom Brady’s injured hand is still shrouded in mystery less than 24 hours before the New England Patriots take on the upset-minded Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship game on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Patriots quarterback appeared before a group of reporters on Friday after skipping his earlier media availability this week to have the injured hand, specifically his right thumb, examined by a doctor.

Brady, who was noticeably wearing a glove on his throwing hand during the media briefing, provided little to zero information about the current condition of his hand.

When asked if the injury would prevent him from playing in Sunday’s big game, Brady could only respond with a smug on his face.

Insider report on the injury

Adding more suspense is the Patriots’ decision to list Brady as questionable for Sunday’s AFC Championship showdown with the Jags. However, veteran NFL insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network did his best to shed some light on the much-talked-about hand..

Rapoport revealed, via a source close t the situation, that Brady injured his right thumb during Wednesday’s practice. The source described the Pats quarterback’s hand as a bloody mess after it got caught inside the helmet of a teammate. The cut required four stitches around the knuckle area, but MRI showed no bone fracture or ligament damage.

As a matter of fact, Rapoport thought Brady threw the ball really well on Friday despite the injured hand. Wide receiver Danny Amendola, one of Brady’s favorite targets, also felt there was nothing wrong with the QB’s passes.

“Yeah, they’re always good throws,” Amendola told reporters via USA Today on Friday.

Jags capitalizing on Brady’s injury

The Jacksonville Jaguars willed themselves all the way to the Afc Championship Game because of their fearsome defense. On Sunday, the Jags are expected to stick with their game plan against the Patriots, but this time with more emphasis on Brady’s injured hand.

And while Brady’s pin-point passes in practice are downplaying concerns about his current form on game day, Brian Dowling of the Boston Herald is still not sold the injured hand won’t bother the quarterback in the game against the Jaguars.

John Breech of CBS Sports pointed out that the Jags’ defense has been dominating Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks this season.

“In their four games against Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, the Jaguars have gone 4-0, and for the most part, they've completely embarrassed the quarterback they were going up against,” Breech stressed.

The Jaguars destroyed Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens), Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) and Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) twice by simply overpowering their offensive line and clamping down passing lanes. They could topple down another quarterback with championship pedigree, if Pats head coach Bill Belichick doesn’t find ways to protect an injured Brady in the AFC title match.
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