New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady returned to practice on Thursday, one day removed from sitting out because of a thigh issue.
Brady is expected to play on Sunday (1 p.m.) when New England (13-2) attempts to wrap up the top seed in the AFC and home-field advantage with a win over host Miami (10-5).
Brady was limited in practice all last week and listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against the New York Jets. The injury did little to slow down the 39-year-old, who threw for three touchdowns in a 41-3 rout of the Jets.
Brady, who served a four-game suspension for his part in Deflategate to begin the season, has completed 266-of-399 passes for 3,278 yards with 25 touchdowns and two interceptions in 11 games.
Brady was joined on Thursday by running back Dion Lewis, who missed Wednesday’s practice because of illness. The 26-year-old Lewis has rushed 53 times for 235 yards and reeled in 15 receptions for 90 yards in six games this season.
Wide receivers Danny Amendola (ankle) and Malcolm Mitchell (knee) sat out their second straight practice while cornerback Cyrus Jones (knee) missed Thursday’s session after being limited on Wednesday.
QB Newton misses practice
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton sat out of practice on Thursday because of a shoulder injury.
Backup Derek Anderson was battling an illness, leaving third-stringer Joe Webb to take all the snaps in practice.
The 27-year-old Newton is expected to play for Carolina (6-9) in the season finale against the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) on Sunday.
Newton, who was limited in Wednesday’s practice, went 18 of 43 for 198 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 33-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday.
Lewis plans to coach Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis had little interest in having the retirement rumors gain any additional traction.
“I’ll be back in 2017,” Lewis told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday morning.
Lewis is signed through next season, although owner Mike Brown has the final decision on whether the 58-year-old will return for a 15th season on Cincinnati’s sideline.
With the Bengals (5-9-1) mired in their first losing season since 2010, Lewis was left to deflect questions about a potential retirement on Wednesday.
Lewis owns a 117-103-3 record as the Bengals’ head coach. He led them to seven playoff appearances — including five straight heading into this season, but is 0-7 in postseason games.
Cincinnati is eliminated from playoff contention heading into Sunday’s season finale. Lewis is the second-most tenured NFL coach behind New England’s Bill Belichick.
Eifert undergoes back surgery
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert underwent back surgery earlier this week, coach Marvin Lewis revealed Thursday morning while speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Eifert sat out Saturday’s 12-10 loss to the Houston Texans and was placed on injured reserve two days later. The 26-year-old Eifert, who had surgery Tuesday, was recovering from offseason ankle surgery brought about from an injury he suffered during the Pro Bowl.
Eifert missed the first six games of this season with ankle and back injuries and had 29 receptions for 394 yards and five touchdowns in eight contests.
Eifert has missed 27 games since being selected by Cincinnati with the 21st overall pick in the 2013 draft. He has 123 receptions for 1,491 yards and 20 touchdowns in 37 career contests.
RG3 cleared to return
Quarterback Robert Griffin III cleared concussion protocol and is available to the Cleveland Browns in the season finale Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Griffin led the Browns to their first win of the season, a 20-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers, in Week 16. He was sacked seven times in the game and concussed on a hit by linebacker Korey Toomer.
Head coach Hue Jackson said Monday that Griffin would likely start against the Steelers if he was cleared, leaving rookie Cody Kessler as the backup.
The Browns must decide whether to pay a $1.5 million roster bonus and retain Griffin for the 2017 season after he was signed to a two-year deal worth up to $15 million in March 2016.
Cleveland enters the 2017 draft with multiple first-round picks including No. 1 overall and is likely to consider drafting another quarterback.