It’s been a wicked week for New England Patriots fans.
On Sunday, as Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was being helped to the locker room, they must have been speculating how long he would be out. Short-term IR, maybe? What if Jones couldn’t come back this season? What is tightrope surgery anyway?
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That was followed by four press conferences full of “day-by-day” and “we’ll see” from New England coach Bill Belichick when asked about Jones’ injury and status.
Jones had a press conference of his own on Monday, in which he said he’s “taking it day-by-day” and advised reporters to ask Belichick if they needed to know specifically what his injury was.
“I think he likes to answer those questions,” Jones added, then laughed.
And then came reports that Jones was at practice (which is not the same as practicing) on Friday. Might he play on Sunday after all?
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Well, on Friday afternoon, New England fans got something definitive: The Patriots’ injury report listed Jones as out for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers because of an ankle injury.
But what kind of ankle injury the former Alabama All-American is hobbled by has not been specified by the team. NFL Network and ESPN have reported Jones has a high ankle sprain.
In Sunday’s 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, defensive end Calais Campbell landed on Jones’ legs as the quarterback passed on the Patriots’ final offensive play of the game. Jones hopped off the field on his right leg, apparently unable to put weight on the left one.
Since joining New England as the 15th selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, Jones has started all 20 of the Patriots’ regular-season games as well as a playoff contest.
On Thursday, Belichick said if Jones couldn’t play, then Brian Hoyer would start at quarterback for New England. The start will be the 40th in an NFL regular-season game for Hoyer, who is in his 13th season.
On Friday, Belichick did elaborate on what it would take for Jones to return to the field.
“Ultimately, that will be a decision made by the medical people, in consultation with Mac, of course, like we do with any player,” Belichick said. “He’s no different than any other player. I mean he is, but I’m just saying the process is the same. Medical evaluation, talk to the player, and as a coach you, at whatever point, get the information that you get and you make a decision, if there’s a decision to be made. If there’s no decision to be made medically, then I’m out of. But if there’s a decision to be made, if a player’s at X percent, he can do this. The player feel likes he can do this. He’s ready to play. Then I’ll make a decision. Do I want this player at X percent? Or somebody else at, let’s call it, 100 percent?
“But a lot of times it never gets to that point. Occasionally it does. If it does, then that becomes my decision, in consultation with the player and, usually, his position coach or the staff.”
The Patriots and Packers will square off at 3:25 p.m. CDT Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. CBS television affiliates are scheduled to broadcast the game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
