Brunell Hopes to Be Back for Playoffs

Jaguar quarterback Mark Brunell says a knee injury will keep him out of Sunday’s game against Cincinnati, but he plans to return for the playoffs.

Brunell sprained the medial collateral ligament in the first half of Sunday’s 41-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

After team meetings Monday, Brunell walked to his truck without aid of crutches and said he planned to return by the playoffs. He said he didn’t think he would miss action if the Jaguars get a bye week.

“I’m out next week,” Brunell said. “Then the bye week will be an interesting situation. Then, I get some rest and plan on being back.”

With Brunell out, Jay Fiedler will make his first NFL start.

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Denver Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan said he made a mistake in not telling the team his reasons for demoting Bubby Brister late in the exhibition season.

“I made a mistake in not telling them more specifically why I was making the change. I should have done a better job of telling everybody at that time why I was making the decision,” Shanahan said.

“You don’t always do everything right. If I had to do it over again, that’s what I would have done. I apologized to the team for not telling them why I made it.”

Shanahan’s benching of Brister and elevation of the inexperienced Brian Griese to the starting quarterback job divided the team’s loyalties. The Broncos started 0-4 and never recovered.

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Denver safety Darrius Johnson was arrested on assault charges in Glendale, Colo., for striking a topless dancer, police said.

Johnson was arrested Sunday night after he was accused of hitting the dancer on the side of the face at Shotgun Willie’s nightclub in Glendale, an incorporated city surrounded by Denver.

Johnson was taken to the Glendale Police Department and released with a summons. He is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 14.

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Tennessee Titan end Jevon Kearse still has the rookie record for sacks. It just turns out he set it against Jacksonville, not Atlanta.

NFL statistics released Monday show Kearse with 13 1/2 sacks. Coach Jeff Fisher said the Falcons appealed the second of Kearse’s two sacks on Dec. 19 and the Elias Sports Bureau ruled the stop wasn’t a sack.

That sack had given Kearse the record, breaking a tie at 12 1/2 with Simeon Rice and Leslie O’Neal. But Kearse still has the sack record. He sacked the Jaguars’ Fiedler Sunday, putting him back at 13 1/2.

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Seattle running back Ricky Watters sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee Sunday and Seahawk Coach Mike Holmgren said he was unsure of Watters’ status this week.

“He’s sore,” Holmgren said. “He has a knee sprain, but he’s not in a lot of pain. This week we’re going to see how he responds. We’re going to treat it.”

Watters has rushed for 1,180 yards and scored seven touchdowns this season.