NFL Notes: Tebow played hurt in loss to Patriots

Tim Tebow needs more R&R than anyone thought.

The Broncos quarterback played through rib, lung and chest injuries he sustained in Denver’s 45-10 loss at New England in the AFC divisional playoffs last weekend.

He won’t need surgery, is expected to make a full recovery with some downtime and his offseason training program shouldn’t be affected in any way.

ESPN first reported Wednesday that Tebow got hurt on a third-quarter tackle, then had trouble sleeping because of the pain and underwent an MRI on his chest Monday.

Team spokesman Patrick Smyth said that while he couldn’t confirm the exact extent or nature of the injuries because of team policy, he acknowledged that Tebow finished the game in considerable pain.

Backup Brady Quinn quickly got ready to go into the game after Tebow was hit by Vince Wilfork and Rob Ninkovich, but Tebow stayed in and finished up.

“It’s just the physicality of playing football. Sometimes you get hit and it can hurt a little bit. But, I wanted to play a lot of the game,” Tebow said after the game.

Philbin stays in running

Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin interviewed for the Miami Dolphins’ head-coaching job for a second time.

Philbin met with team owner Stephen Ross and general manager Jeff Ireland in New York City, where Ross has an office. Also scheduled for second interviews in New York this week were Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and Todd Bowles, the Dolphins’ interim coach for their final three games this season.

The three coaches are finalists for the job after top choice Jeff Fisher turned down the Dolphins on Friday to become head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

Philbin completed his first interview in South Florida on Jan. 7, and he decided to remain in consideration despite his son’s recent drowning in a Wisconsin river. After spending a week away, Philbin rejoined the Packers on Sunday for the divisional playoff loss to the New York Giants.

Philbin has been with Green Bay since 2003.

Around the league

Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct involving an incident at a Cincinnati bar in July. … The Tennessee Titans promoted general manager Mike Reinfeldt to senior executive vice president and chief operating officer and moved Ruston Webster to general manager.