Tom Brady Explains Injury: 'We Were Very Lucky' After Thumb 'Bent Back'

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is finally opening up about his thumb injury, saying Monday on WEEI's Kirk and Callahan Show "we were very lucky" it wasn't more serious.

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com passed along his comments:

"We ran into each other and my thumb just got bent back. It wasn't his helmet or anything. It just kind of got bent back and that's why I thought it was a lot worse. The doctors checked it out and we did the things just to kind of check on everything. Fortunately there wasn't the damage that normally comes associated with that. I think we were very lucky."     

Brady, 40, threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 24-20 comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Gillette Stadium despite his injury. He needed more than 10 stitches after he collided with running back Rex Burkhead in Wednesday's practice.         

The Patriots held him out of practice Thursday, and he was a limited participant Friday. Brady wore black tape on his throwing hand to protect it from further injury against the Jaguars, whose defense vexed him for three quarters before he led yet another fourth-quarter playoff comeback. He hit wide receiver Danny Amendola for a pair of touchdowns in the final nine minutes, the second coming with 2:48 remaining.

"It went pretty good," Brady told the crowd during the AFC trophy presentation. "Coach [Bill] Belichick doesn't like us talking about injuries much. But just for you guys here: It was a pretty good cut. I dealt with it the best I could. I'm lucky to have the best teammates in the world. Without them, we're not standing here getting ready to go to Minneapolis playing in the Super Bowl."

Brady should be at 100 percent when the Patriots play the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Super Bowl LII. It will be the quarterback's record eighth appearance in the big game. He'll look to extend his all-time lead for most Super Bowl victories for a quarterback (currently five) and break his tie with Charles Haley for the most rings for a player in league history.

New England is also looking to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl winner since it did so in 2004 and 2005.