Kansas City, Mo. ? Brodie Croyle was able to throw without any problem on Thursday, and he probably will start at quarterback Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs try to snap an eight-game losing skid in their season finale at the New York Jets.

Croyle missed most of last week’s game at Detroit when he bruised his throwing hand while trying to tackle a defender who was running an interception back for a touchdown.

He had not been able to throw the ball effectively Wednesday and was listed as questionable.

“It went good. The hand’s feeling better; the grip’s better,” said the second-year pro. “Hopefully, we’ll give it a whirl. The swelling’s down, and it’s getting better.”

In eight games, including five starts, Croyle has had some impressive moments in what everyone knew was an audition as Kansas City’s quarterback of the future. He has connected on 107 of 181 passes for 1,032 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions.

His rating is a lowly 70.5, but of greater concern to the Chiefs is his tendency to get hurt. Coach Herm Edwards said as much Wednesday when asked if he had seen enough this year to know whether Croyle is the QB he wants to build around.

During an otherwise productive college career at Alabama, injuries dogged Croyle and caused him to drop into the third round of the 2006 draft. Croyle bristles when asked about the injury-prone tag .

“Whatever,” he said. “There’s only one way to get rid of that, and that’s to play a whole season without being hurt and without missing any time. Hopefully, next year the 16th week we’re not sitting here talking about the same thing, we’re talking about going to the playoffs.”

He said he’s not feeling any pressure to prove to anyone that he can stay healthy.

“No, I want to play. There’s nobody on this team that enjoys competing more than I do,” he said.

He was hurt in the Lions game doing something quarterbacks are taught not to do after they’ve thrown an interception.

“That’s probably half the reason I end up getting hurt, because I don’t really think that through all the time,” he said. “Like trying to tackle somebody when I knew I had no chance. Hindsight’s 20-20. It would have been easier to let him go. But that’s something I have a tough time with.”