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NFL championship games: Jaguars lead Patriots and a bandaged Tom Brady; Rob Gronkowski is hurt


Blake Bortles was flinging it, too. (Elsa / Getty Images)

Top story lines | NFL headlines
Injury news | Playoff picks / Super Bowl odds

The mystery of what happened to the passing hand of Tom Brady has been cleared up, replaced by concern over the health of Rob Gronkowski as the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars battle in the AFC championship game.

Sporting a big black bandage, Brady required “more than 10 stitches” after cutting the inside of his right hand near his thumb during practice Wednesday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported. In addition, he reportedly suffered a collateral ligament sprain in the thumb when he collided with running back Rex Burkhead.

On the game’s opening drive, Brady completed 6-of-6 passes for 57 yards, including a fourth-and-2 conversion. He couldn’t get the Pats into the end zone, though, and they settled for a field goal.

Their second drive stalled and the Jaguars began taking over. Early in the second quarter, the Jaguars capped a 76-yard, seven-play drive with a Blake Bortles four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Marcedes Lewis for a 7-3 lead. On their next drive, the Jaguars scored again, with a 77-yard drive capped by Leonard Fournette’s four-yard touchdown run.

Brady and the Patriots closed within 14-10 just before halftime, though, with an eight-play, 85-yard drive capped by James White’s 1-yard touchdown run.

Of great concern, though, is the status of Gronkowski, who took a hit to the head and left the field to be examined for concussion symptoms just before the half.

[Tom Brady sports bandage on throwing hand during warmups]

No one may be happier about the turn of events than the Jaguars vice president Tom Coughlin, who beat the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl when he was coach of the Giants.

Shortly before kickoff, though, Brady opened up about his injury.

“It was just a very fluke injury,” he said in a statement. “It was something that’s happened a lot of times over the course of my career and there was a collision in practice and, you know, my hand suffered a bit of an injury, but hopefully I can go out there and still be really effective and we’ll see what I can do today.”

[Does Tom Coughlin still have the Patriots’ number?]

It was alarming enough that owner Robert Kraft high-tailed it to New England from Florida last week to see “firsthand” what was going on after his QB Face-Timed him with the news.

“Sometimes freak accidents happen and thank goodness it wasn’t as severe as we thought it could be,” Kraft said on the NFL Network. “But you don’t know, and today will be a great test. There isn’t anyone who is mentally tougher and prepares harder.”

Top story lines

Philly’s Crisco Cops: No matter whether the Vikings or Eagles win, the scene in Philadelphia is likely to be wild. Law-enforcement authorities in the City of Brotherly Love are taking precautions by greasing the city’s light poles, the better to thwart anyone who plans to shinny up the standards.

Meanwhile, Vikings fans are skol-ing away. Take that, Rocky.

Jacksonville talks a good game: The Patriots will face the Jaguars’ tough defense, with Jalen Ramsey doing the kind of trash talking that will either backfire or succeed fantastically.

“We going to the Super Bowl,” the 23-year-old cornerback told a group of fans after the Jags beat the Steelers last weekend. “And we’re going to win that b—-!” (Read more about the cornerback’s journey to trash talker extraordinaire.)

He kept it up during warm-ups, too,

Vikings-Eagles (6:40 p.m. EST, Fox): Keep an eye on Philadelphia’s Fletcher Cox, who has a touching pregame ritual.

He’ll make the sign of a cross over his chest, kiss his fingertips and point skyward. Then, when the final note of the national anthem is sung, he’ll look up and whisper, “I love you, bro.”

[Nick Foles turned to a higher power before returning to the Eagles]

It’s how he honors his brother, who died of a heart attack at the age of 34. “I talk to him before every game,” the Eagles defensive tackle said during a quiet moment at his locker. “He used to always tell me, ‘Eye of the Tiger.’ He used to always text me that.” (Read more about the loss that nearly broke Cox.)

Being John Malkovich: CBS had a strong pregame promo. Take a look.

NFL headlines

Hits, not concussions, linked to CTE: A new study from Boston University links repetitive hits to the head rather than concussions as the cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, especially in younger athletes. (Read more.)

Troops will be able to watch: Military members stationed abroad can watch the games after the Department of Defense designates the Armed Forces Network “essential.” (Read more.)

Leave the paper products at home: Gene Steratore — you’ll remember how he used an index card to determine a first down in a Sunday night game — gets the call to referee Super Bowl LII. (Read more.)

Send your résumé to The Hoodie: Bill Belichick is going to be challenged again by the expected departure of his two star coordinators. That hasn’t mattered in the past. Will it this time, when Matt Patricia and Josh McDaniel depart? (Read more.)

Fear not for “Kurt”: Kirk Cousins is still going to get paid despite the presence of three nonelite quarterbacks among the NFL’s final four teams. (Read more.) Still, Scot McCloughan says, “I don’t see special,” where Cousins is concerned. (Read more.)

When you have three QBs, you’ve really got none: Which quarterback should the Vikings keep? How about none of them? (Read more.)

Injury news

What about Tom? See Brady, Tom, and his 40-year-old hand above. He is officially active.

Up and Adam: Adam Thielen, the Vikings’ top wide receiver, was listed as questionable with a lower back injury, but he will play against the Eagles.

Patriots-Jaguars inactives: For the Patriots, it’s TE Jacob Hollister, DT Alan Branch, OT LaAdrian Waddle, WR Kenny Britt, WR Bernard Reedy, LB David Harris, RB Mike Gillislee. For the Jaguars, it’s RB Chris Ivory, DT Eli Ankou, LB Deon King, DE Carroll Phillips, OL Chris Reed, OL Josh Walker, OL William Poehls.

Playoff picks

The Patriots and Vikings will move on to Super Bowl LII. (Read more.)

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