Tom Brady has reportedly been playing through sprained MCL

Tom Brady struggled down the stretch during the regular season and looked like he was finally showing his age, but there may be another explanation for why the four-time Super Bowl MVP looked a bit off.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Brady played through a sprained MCL for the last several games of the regular season. He reportedly suffered the injury when he slipped on a double pass play against the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 11. Brady was listed on the injury report with a knee injury until Week 15, and it sounds like it was more significant than he let on.

For what it’s worth, Brady had three consecutive solid games after the Titans game. He did, however, look way off the mark in the second half against the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 9 and again in the next two games versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. Overall, he finished the season with a passer rating of 97.7, which was his lowest mark since 2014.

Fortunately for the Patriots, Rapoport was told by sources that Brady is fully recovered heading into Sunday’s playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers. He is not expected to need any type of procedure on the knee after the season.

There have been some questions about whether Brady will hold to some of the predictions he made about his future, and his recent comments indicate he has no intention of backing down from them. We’ll know soon enough if the 41-year-old quarterback has another Super Bowl run in him.