Tom Brady won't be in at least the conference championship game for the first time since the 2010 season.
We know New England's offense wasn't potent enough to put up a point total typical of a legitimate Super Bowl contender. We know after Saturday's loss to the Titans it wasn't potent enough to even get out of the Wild Card round. But what we didn't know until now is Brady was dealing with more than one injury.
NFL Network's Mike Giardi reported Monday Brady was dealing with a foot injury suffered sometime in December. That ailment came on top of the tennis elbow Brady was battling through for much of the latter portion of the season.
This information could help explain at least a little of the Patriots' offensive struggles down the stretch, which ultimately doomed them in their wild-card meeting with Tennessee. Drops dotted Saturday's loss, especially late, but there was a lack of rhythm and aggression from the Patriots' offense in many of their late-season contests, including their playoff defeat.
At 42 years old, it's widely known how much money and effort is spent taking care of Brady's body so he can continue to play the position at a high level. Though the loss wasn't entirely the fault of Brady's, there was reason -- including his career-worst marks in key passing categories down the stretch -- for folks to view his play and wonder if Father Time might finally be catching up to him.
The revelation of this injury helps explain it. How that affects his future remains to be seen, but we know one thing is for certain: He'll have a few extra weeks for recovery this offseason.
