At first glance, the New England Patriots appeared to have escaped the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos without any major injury issues. However, on Monday, speculation started to make the rounds online about quarterback Drake Maye potentially having injured his right throwing shoulder on a scramble play in the third quarter.
Maye himself did not show any limitations after the play, but did acknowledge some “bumps and bruises” during his press conference after the 10-7 victory spoke.
Are they a valid reason for concern, though? That remains to be seen, especially with Mike Vrabel opting not to directly address the rumors on Monday morning.
Appearing on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, the Patriots’ head coach channeled his inner Bill Belichick when asked about Maye’s supposed shoulder ailment:
Q: Is he a 100% healthy today as you guys get ready?
Vrabel: There’s not a player on our team that’s 100% healthy.
Q: Is he healthy enough to play at a high level?
Vrabel: I would imagine we will go through the injury report, and whenever we have to turn that in, we’ll turn it in. But nobody is 100%. This will be our 21st game.
Maye finished the game without missing any time, and did not look particularly bothered by his shoulder or any other injuries during and after the contest. He completed his longest pass of the day, a 31-yarder to Mack Hollins, two plays after the scramble in question and was quick to pop up again following a sack in the fourth quarter that saw him land on that very same right shoulder.
As Vrabel noted, though, his team will share all the necessary information as part of its injury report. The first of those leading up to Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks will be released next Wednesday.
Before flying to California, the Patriots are scheduled to hit the practice fields on Thursday and Friday this week.
