Injury Sidelines Brunell

Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell has a sprained ankle that will sideline him for the next game and possibly the rest of the regular season.

Brunell’s left ankle buckled on the second play of Jacksonville’s 37-22 victory over Detroit on Sunday. Results of an MRI showed damage to the membrane that surrounds the bone in the upper ankle area, and Coach Tom Coughlin said Brunell would miss Sunday’s game against Tennessee.

Jamie Martin, who passed for 228 yards and two touchdowns after replacing Brunell against the Lions, will start against the Oilers.

The Jaguars (10-3) need one more victory to clinch their first AFC Central title.

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Neil O’Donnell won’t need surgery on his broken passing hand but will miss the Cincinnati Bengals’ final three games.

Coach Bruce Coslet said Jeff Blake will start in Indianapolis on Sunday in place of O’Donnell, who broke his right hand while following through on a pass during Sunday’s 33-20 loss to Buffalo.

O’Donnell broke the bone just below the knuckle of his index finger during the fourth quarter. A hand specialist concluded that he won’t need surgery, but he’ll have to be in a splint for three weeks.

Also Monday, the Bengals released veteran punter Lee Johnson, a day after he criticizing the team. Brad Costello will be promoted from the developmental squad and handle punts and kickoffs.

After the game Sunday, Johnson said he wouldn’t have bought a ticket if he were a fan. “No, no way,” Johnson said. “You’re saying [losing] is OK. I guess if you’ve got nothing else to do. I’d sell my tickets.”

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The Washington Redskins have lost wide receivers Michael Westbrook and James Thrash, and linebacker Malcolm Hamilton for the season because of injuries.

Westbrook needs surgery on a herniated disk in his neck, suffered when he was rammed to the ground head-first on a legal tackle by Charles Dimry in the Redskins’ 24-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers. Thrash suffered a broken collarbone in the third quarter but was used as a decoy on the Redskins’ late drive to the winning touchdown because Coach Norv Turner had no available wide receivers. Hamilton suffered a dislocated shoulder making a tackle.

The Redskins are expected to sign wide receiver Henry Ellard, who previously played for them from 1994-97 and was used by the New England Patriots in five games this season, and linebacker Kevin Jefferson.

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Charger interim coach June Jones will be interviewed for the vacant University of Hawaii head coaching position today in San Diego by the school’s athletic director, Hugh Yoshida. Jones was a quarterback and an assistant coach at Hawaii.