Report: Tom Brady suffered ankle sprain, should be playoff ready

Despite a run-first game plan seemingly designed to protect the New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady took a beating in Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins. Thankfully, that drubbing wasn't as bad as some may have feared, as ESPN.com's Adam Schefter reported Brady suffered only a right ankle sprain.

Brady appeared to suffer the sprain in the second quarter on a low hit from defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. He limped off the field after the failed third-down attempt and had the ankle re-taped. He played well into the fourth quarter before backup Jimmy Garoppolo took over garbage duties.

As for Patriots coach Bill Belichick's reaction: "What are you talking about? I mean, everybody played."

What that reporter was talking about was Brady's status for the divisional round. The Patriots have a first-round bye as a No. 2 seed, and as Schefter reported, Brady is "expected to be ready for the playoffs."

For those counting at home, Brady also suffered ankle injuries during the 2001, 2007 and 2014 seasons. The Patriots reached the Super Bowl each season, winning twice, so none of this is new territory.

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Ben Rohrbach

is a contributor for Ball Don't Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach