Earlier this week, the New England Patriots held a practice session without their starting quarterback Tom Brady, who recently suffered a knee injury. It is not yet confirmed if he will be able to lead the Patriots in the Week 12 game against the New York Jets or if the team will go with Jimmy Garappolo.
As noted by Boston Herald, Brady was one of the two Patriots players who didn't participate in practice earlier this week. The other was wide receiver Matthew Slater, who is currently dealing with a foot injury.
It is not yet clear when Brady suffered the injury, but it is widely believed that in happened during the Week 10 game against the Seattle Seahawks. In that match, he took a hit from safety Kam Chancellor on his right leg.
Although he was still able to continue to play after that, Brady might still be feeling the effects of that hit.
Brady's current condition doesn't seem to be that serious. He was probably asked by coach Bill Belichick to sit out the practice to rest in preparation for the upcoming game.
Last week, Brady was also feeling confident that he will be able to return to the field with the Patriots.
"I'm sore, but I will be ready to go next week," he said according to CBS Sports. "Get some good treatment like I always get from my good buddy Alex Guerrero and I'll be good to go."
"It's part of football," he added. "Everyone plays with bumps and bruises this time of year. I'm no different. I'll get my treatment this week, get out to practice and be ready to go."
Despite Brady and the team's optimism, there's still one lingering factor that keeps on popping up every time the quarterback gets hurt. Brady is already 39 years old. At this age, he is now more prone to injuries compared to his younger counterparts. In other words, a minor hit or injury could turn into a serious one.
If this happens, then there's a chance that Brady might miss the game against the Jets. The Patriots would then once again turn to his backup Garoppolo, who was their starting quarterback when Brady was still serving his four-game suspension.