Jaguars don’t fear Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. The week started with a little trash talk from the underdog . The rest of it was dominated by speculation about a certain 40-year-old quarterback’s injured throwing hand.

Plenty of intrigue for when the Jaguars and Patriots meet in Sunday’s AFC championship game?

New England (143), the defending Super Bowl champion, is favoured heading into its seventh straight conference title game. But the polished veneer it normally displays at this time of year is showing flecks of imperfection after Tom Brady injured his right hand during practice.

The injury kept Brady limited in workouts to begin the week and caused him to sit out practice entirely on Thursday.

Brady has never missed a playoff start during his 18year career that includes four Super Bowl MPV honours. He said a bit contentiously only “We’ll see” on Friday when asked if he would play Sunday.

He wore red gloves and responded to other questions about the hand’s status by saying “I’m not talking about that.”

The Patriots’ topranked offence will need another signature performance from Brady against the Jaguars’ second-ranked defence .

Jacksonville (12-6), trying to earn a trip to its first Super Bowl, has scored eight defensive touchdowns this season, three more than any other team. That’s the most defensive touchdowns in a season by one team since the 2012 Bears.