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Broken finger might sideline Jaguars CB Mathis vs. Titans

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Rashean Mathis wore pink cleats, pink gloves and pink wristbands as part of the NFL's drive to support breast cancer awareness month.

Now he has a pink cast to match.

The Jacksonville Jaguars' best cornerback has a broken index finger on his left hand and could miss Sunday's game at Tennessee.

Wearing a pink-and-black cast, Mathis said Tuesday that he still has a screw in his finger and several stitches. Although they will be removed later this week, Mathis doesn't expect to practice and isn't sure whether he will play against the AFC South rival Titans.

"I don't know how it's going to do yet," said Mathis, who has 18 tackles and two interceptions this season. "It's still questionable. I'm going to see. Hopefully I can go."

If Mathis can't play, Scott Starks or Tyron Brackenridge probably would start at cornerback, opposite rookie Derek Cox.

Mathis has missed six games in the last two seasons. He sat out two games in 2007 because of a groin injury and missed the final four games last season after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

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Mathis broke a bone on the back of his finger while batting away a pass late in the fourth quarter of an Oct. 18 game against the St. Louis Rams. He had surgery during the team's bye week.

"This is a finger," Mathis said. "I still have my legs. I can still move my arms. I'm still in great health. I can still run around and tackle. A knee is totally different than a finger."

When Mathis does return, he expects to wear a smaller cast. He has played with casts and splints before, so he doesn't foresee any problems tackling players, covering routes or knocking down passes.

"I'm sure there's somebody on every team with a cast on their hand," Mathis said. "Fingers are small parts of the body that get banged up. It's just a finger. It's not my whole hand. It's not too big of a deal."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press