Brett Favre misses practice; consecutive starts streak in jeopardy

Brett Favre missed his second straight day of practice for the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, but he walked around the team’s facility without the oversized boot that had been protecting an injury that is putting his league-record streak of 291 consecutive starts streak in jeopardy.

The 41-year-old quarterback limped through the locker room with a heavy wrap on his ankle, which was injured in a loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

Asked if he thought he could play against New England, Favre said, “I wouldn’t put anything past me, to be honest with you.”

Favre has a stress fracture in the ankle as well as an avulsion fracture in the heel bone, where a fragment has been torn away by a tendon or ligament. He consulted with the doctors who performed surgery on his ankle this summer to get him ready for a 20th NFL season, and was told that the injury would not get any worse by playing on it.

“He’s been a little better every day,” Coach Brad Childress said. “Whether it’s good enough to play in an NFL football game remains to be seen. Just have to take it a day at a time.”

Friday would appear to be a big day for Favre’s chances to play against the Patriots on Sunday. He said Wednesday he hoped to get out on the practice field at least on a limited basis by Friday. The team will issue the final injury report of the week for him Friday afternoon, declaring him out, doubtful or probable to play.

“It’s going to take the sky to fall for him not to go out there,” tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said.

Britt denies throwing punch

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt denied throwing a punch during a bar fight in a downtown Nashville nightclub last week.

Britt said he was falsely accused by 26-year-old Harold Pointer, who told police that Britt joined in a fight and struck him several times during an altercation at the Karma Lounge nightclub in the early hours Oct. 22. A police investigation into the alleged assault remains open.

“We probably had some words throughout the time we were there, and probably the person that did touch him was probably with me, and he probably thought so, and now he’s falsely accusing me. That’s what happens in my life,” Britt said.

“I told the police. I’m telling the police, I’m telling you and everybody out there that’s accusing me that I touched him,” he said.

Saints’ Thomas on crutches

New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas is using crutches after practice to keep pressure off his sprained left ankle and says he’s frustrated by the length of his recovery.

Thomas has not played since the injury occurred late in the Saints’ Week 3 loss to Atlanta. Thomas says his ankle is not getting worse and he can jog without much pain, but that trainers have advised him to keep weight off it when possible.

Fellow running back Reggie Bush, who is recovering from a broken right leg, also did not practice Thursday.

Rams’ Jackson says he will play

St. Louis running back Steven Jackson, who had surgery on his broken left ring finger Monday, said he will play Sunday when the Carolina Panthers visit the Rams.

“Absolutely, I will definitely be out there Sunday,” said Jackson, who had two pins inserted into the finger. “The surgery went fine. Everything went well. It’s unfortunate it had to happen. It’s on the left hand, so it’s not a big deal as if it was my right hand.”

Chargers’ game will be blacked out

The San Diego Chargers said Sunday’s home game against Tennessee will be blacked out in Southern California because more than 8,000 general-admission tickets remained unsold at Thursday’s deadline.

It will be the Chargers’ third blackout in four home games this season.

Haynesworth ‘not good enough to play the 3-4’

Albert Haynesworth still thinks he can become the greatest lineman to play the game as long as he’s not playing nose tackle in a 3-4 defense.

The Washington Redskins defensive lineman made a rare midweek appearance before reporters and spoke of the compromise he’s reached with coaches to play mostly in nickel situations, adding: “I’m not good enough to play the 3-4.”

Haynesworth said he has “no clue” whether he’ll be with the Redskins next season. He said if he keeps playing, he’s “going to be somewhere.”

Haynesworth signed a seven-year, $100-million contract in 2009 as a free agent.

Giants put Kiwanuka on injured reserve

The New York Giants put defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka on injured reserve because of a herniated disk in his neck. They had waited more than a month to see whether the injury would heal with rest.