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Ravens safety Earl Thomas has missed practice for rest days at points in the past, but the team cited a different reason for his absence from the field on Wednesday.

Thomas was listed with a knee injury and Thomas confirmed that he’s not 100 percent when he spoke to reporters on Thursday. Thomas also said that he’s learned how to manage aches and pains over the course of his career and that he’ll be in the lineup against the Patriots on Sunday night. He also said he’s looking forward to facing Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for the fourth time in his career.

“Going against a guy like Tom is a great challenge,” Thomas said, via Jeff Zrebiec of TheAthletic.com. “You always want to go against a champion. It’s champion on champion, so I’m excited to go against him.”

All three previous games took place while Thomas was with the Seahawks. Seattle won both of the regular season matchups with the Patriots taking Super Bowl XLIX.