Tom Brady says he is not injured
"I feel great."
Quarterback Tom Brady says he is not injured after coach Bill Belichick replaced him with backup quarterback Brian Hoyer with over six minutes remaining in Sunday’s Patriots-Bills game.
Brady told reporters after New England’s 24-12 win that he was not surprised by the decision and insisted he feels 100 percent. Some reporters have been speculating that’s not the case, theorizing that Brady’s knee has been bothering him. NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry noted the 41-year-old curtailed his pregame routine Sunday, and NFL Network’s Mike Giardi previously surmised he might be playing through a torn or partially torn MCL.
Tom Brady just seriously cut off his pregame trot down the sideline. Not sure he even got to midfield. If you needed any more indication his knee is bothering him…
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) December 23, 2018
Brady was not listed on the injury report this week and said Sunday he feels “great.”
Against the Miami Dolphins in Week 14, Brady was on his way to celebrate a touchdown with Rob Gronkowski when he stopped running, sat down, extended both legs, and touched his knee. He stayed on the ground for about 10 seconds before jogging to the sideline with a slight limp. He noted after the game he’s had his knee taped and braced due to a “little injury” but expressed “zero concern.”
📹 @WBZPhotog captured Tom Brady having to go down to the turf on his way off the field after his TD pass to Gronk #WBZ #Patriots pic.twitter.com/Wu5lQoIqSf
— Joe Giza (@JoeGiza) December 10, 2018
Since that moment, Brady has completed 49 of 83 passes for 551 yards and two touchdowns. He has also thrown three interceptions. His performance against the Bills was the least productive game of the year, as he threw a season-low 24 passes for a season-low 126 yards. Brady also threw two interceptions and was sacked once for a season-low quarterback rating of 48.3. New England’s run game bailed him out, rushing for a season-high 273 yards and two touchdowns.
“We didn’t have our best game in the pass game, but we won,” Brady said. “I think everyone’s feeling pretty good about winning.”
