The overwhelming consensus among NFL reporters seems to be that Tom Brady’s hand injury is not a major concern and the Patriots quarterback will play on Sunday, but the sports gambling world is clearly viewing the situation a lot differently.
Since Brady injured his throwing hand in practice on Wednesday, the gambling line for the AFC Championship Game has been steadily shifting. Prior to the injury, the Patriots were a nine-point favorite over the Jaguars. Following Brady’s second straight practice wearing gloves on Friday, the line was moving much closer to a touchdown.
According to RJ Bell of Pregame.com, Las Vegas insiders believe Brady’s hand injury is a legitimate concern for the Patriots.
Multiple private sources telling me …
Tom Brady's hand injury is WORSE than the mainstream thinks.(I would not be surprised if #Patriots drop to -7 in the near-term.)
— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) January 19, 2018
In addition to the line shift, the total for the game had also been bet down from 46.5 to 45 at some sportsbooks as of Friday afternoon.
No team in the NFL is tougher to get a read on with injuries than the Patriots, and Brady was no help at his bizarre press conference on Friday. The extent of the injury is unknown, but professional gamblers obviously feel it is going to negatively impact New England in some way.
