A BIG HAND FOR BRADY
Despite injury, QB leads Patriots’ comeback, returns to Super Bowl.
Give ’em FOXBOROUGH, MASS. — a hand: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are heading back to the Super Bowl.
Brady shook off a hand injury and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola with 2:48 remaining, rallying the Patriots to a 24-20 comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC title game Sunday.
Brady, wearing a black bandage on his right hand after hurting it during practice, showed no signs of being hampered.
And, with the game — and possibly the season — on the line, the Patriots star came up big again.
“I’ve had a lot worse,” Brady said. “I didn’t know that on Wednesday. It was a crazy injury. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday was a little scary. Then I started getting some confidence and today we did just enough to win.”
Brady finished 26 of 38 for 290 yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots (15-3), who’ll play the winner of Sunday night’s game between Minnesota and Philadel- phia in Minneapolis on Feb. 4.
It’s the eighth Super B owl appearance for Brady and coach Bill Belichick, who have won five times — including last year’s 34-28 overtime rally against Atlanta.
The Jaguars (12-7) led 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hold against the defending champions.
Jacksonville — looking to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history — had one more shot, but Bortles’ throw on fourth-and-15 to Dede West- brook was knocked away by Stephon Gilmore.
The Patriots then ran out the clock, with Dion Lewis’ 18-yard run with 90 seconds remaining sealing it. And they did it mostly without tight end Rob Gronkowski, who left the game late in the first half and didn’t return.
Brady’s hand was the most-scrutinized body part in Boston since the quarterback’s right ankle before the 2008 Super Bowl, and Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s right ankle tendon — the bloody sock — in the 2004 playoffs.
Brady was listed as questionable after he hurt his right hand during practice earlier in the week. He was limited Wednesday, sat out Thursday and was limited again Friday because of the injury.