Patriots might not have Mac Jones in Week 4
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones sustained what appeared to be a painful injury towards the end of his game against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. The Patriots will play the Packers next Sunday in Week 4. It’s unclear if Jones will be able to play next week against the Packers. Video on Twitter showed Jones hopping off the field awkwardly after a play late in the 4th quarter.
Mac jones hitting griddy with a torn acl🥶🥶🥶 pic.twitter.com/Y3eFbM1VVm
— 𝓜𝓪𝓴𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓪 (@JF1Burner) September 25, 2022
Jones was seen being helped off the field. A fan picture shows Jones’s face looking like he was in agony.
Someone snagged a picture of Mac Jones being carried down to the locker room and… it doesn’t look good at all… pic.twitter.com/fPjSi4lnZm
— PGS NEST (@NestPgs) September 25, 2022
It was unclear what the injury was Sunday afternoon. Rumors floated on social media that Jones might have sustained an ACL injury. By Sunday evening, more information was available. Per Jeff Howe, an NFL national insider for The Athletic, Jones’ X-rays were negative on his ankle, but he will undergo an MRI on Monday.
Sources: Mac Jones will have an MRI tomorrow on his injured ankle after his X-rays were negative. The concern is a potential high-ankle sprain but an MRI will diagnose the extent of the injury. If Jones has to miss time, Brian Hoyer would likely start over rookie Bailey Zappe.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) September 25, 2022
According to Ian Rapoport, the Patriots believe Jones has a high-ankle sprain.
#Patriots QB Mac Jones is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain, pending MRI, per me and @TomPelissero. That means he’ll miss time and potentially head to IR, if the MRI confirms pic.twitter.com/tku5BnLmJV
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 26, 2022
Jones will miss the Packers next week if he has the sprain
A high-ankle sprain would be an injury that would take some time to heal. According to the Cleveland Clinic, recovery from a high-ankle sprain can take anywhere from six to eight weeks.
The Packers would have a severe advantage in Week 4 if Jones cannot play. Brian Hoyer is the Patriots’ backup quarterback on their depth chart. Hoyer has been in the league since 2009. This season will be his eighth with the Patriots. In his lengthy NFL career, Hoyer has over 10,000 yards passing and 53 touchdowns. He also has 35 interceptions.
The Packers would have an excellent opportunity to win their third straight game against the Patriots with a starting Hoyer. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got the passing game cooking against the Buccaneers Sunday. The Packers should be able to outscore a 1-2 Patriots team that’s had trouble scoring against the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers. Especially with how the Packers’ defense has played the past two weeks, only giving up 22 points against the Bears and Buccaneers.