Patriots QB Tom Brady will start AFC Championship game against Jaguars

Tom Brady will suit up and start for the New England Patriots against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship game.

New England Patriots fans can rest easy, quarterback Tom Brady will suit up and start against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship game. Earlier this week, Brady was listed as “questionable” for the game after injuring his hand in practice. Brady reportedly needed four stitches to his knuckle after hitting a teammate’s helmet with his hand.

But Brady will be under center on Sunday.

It’s not too surprising, with everything on the line. Brady is the most experienced quarterback left in the NFL playoffs. He has more Super Bowl appearances than the other three starting quarterbacks have playoff starts combined.

With the Patriots taking on a tough Jaguars defense known for creating turnovers, the Patriots wouldn’t want to risk putting a backup quarterback out there. The situation is compounded because the Patriots traded away a pair of backups with starting experience away in Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo. That’s not to say current backup Brian Hoyer isn’t a solid replacement option in just about any other situation.

But aside from toughing it out, it doesn’t look like the injury is hampering Brady’s ability to throw the ball at all. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported that Brady threw the ball “incredibly well” on Friday in a limited practice. The lack of structural damage to Brady’s throwing hand helped him get back on the field to pursue a record sixth Super Bowl win.