FOXBORO, Mass. — Quarterback Tom Brady was the only Patriot missing from Wednesday's practice, the first of the week in preparation for Sunday's AFC Championship against the Ravens.
Brady was out due to a left shoulder injury. It's the sixth practice he has missed this season, but four of them came during the Patriots' two bye weeks. His only previous absence during a game week came on the Wednesday in anticipation of the regular-season finale against the Bills.
That absence was also due to a left shoulder injury, but the ailment was removed from the Patriots' injury report last week before it returned Wednesday.
Brady held a news conference Wednesday morning before practice, and he was in the locker room. While the absence was a surprise, it could have been a maintenance day. Still, it's never ideal when the franchise quarterback misses any time on the field, especially when it's four days before the biggest game of the year.
The practice was held outside in sweats and shells, and it was a cold, windy day. Linebacker Brandon Spikes, who has been nursing a knee injury for two months, was riding the stationary bike during positional drills.
Fourteen Patriots were limited Wednesday: wide receiver Deion Branch (knee), tackle Marcus Cannon (ankle), safety Patrick Chung (knee), linebacker Dane Fletcher (thumb), tight end Aaron Hernandez (concussion), safety James Ihedigbo (shoulder), defensive tackle Kyle Love (ankle), left guard Logan Mankins (knee), linebacker Rob Ninkovich (hip), tackle Nate Solder (concussion), Spikes, tackle Sebastian Vollmer (foot, back), wide receiver Wes Welker (knee) and linebacker Tracy White (abdomen).
Cornerback Kyle Arrington (foot), center Dan Connolly (goin) and wide receiver Matthew Slater (shoulder) fully participated.
Since last week's final injury report, Brady, Branch, Hernandez, Love, Solder were new additions. There were no deletions since last week's final report.
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