New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones sustained a “pretty severe” high ankle injury after a 37-26 Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It was reported he would be sidelined indefinitely.
“Patriots’ QB Mac Jones has what doctors diagnosed as a severe high ankle sprain that would cause many to have surgery, per sources,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported.
“He is likely to miss multiple games. Jones and the Patriots still are discussing his options and the best way to proceed.”
The Patriots will be in a tough spot with his absence. The Patriots’ next four games are against the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears.
Jones received the injury after being hit by the 6-foot-8-and-307-pound Calais Campbell. He left the field near the end of the fourth quarter. Unable to bear much weight on his left leg, he was carried to the locker room.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss explained that Campbell had “rolled over” Jones’ ankle. The player was then seen limping after the hit and screamed in pain. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added that it was “hard to imagine he plays this week” against the Packers.
“Just trying to take it day-by-day,” Jones said at a press conference on Monday. “Make sure I get my health back. That’s just getting my treatment and kind of going through the process of what can I do to be better. I’m always going to do that regardless of the week, and this week is no different.”
The 2021 rookie Pro Bowler had back spasms earlier this month but returned to the team for the first three games of this season. He completed 64 of 97 passes for 786 yards and two touchdowns while recording 37 yards on 14 carries. The player also had five interceptions, which tied him for the league lead.
Patriots captain Matthew Slater was asked Monday how the team would react if their starting quarterback is unavailable for the next game. He said the squad would handle the situation the right way.
“I hope we don’t have to find that out, but I do believe we’ll respond the right way,” Slater said. “We’re very early in our season, and if we don’t handle it the right way, this thing could spiral away from us.”
Meanwhile, commenting on the injury, coach Bill Belichick said he had nothing to share.
“I just answered that question,” he said. “Until we get more information, I’m not going speculate wildly on what it would or wouldn’t be.”
Hoyers as Jones’ backup
Belichick said he had considered making Brian Hoyer a backup for Jones. His other options would be rookie Bailey Zappe, whom Belichick said had improved. That said, because of his experience and knowledge of the offense, Belichick said Hoyer was the safer choice for the job.
Hoyer has spent seven seasons with the Patriots with several stops. He spent one year in San Francisco, Indianapolis, Houston and Chicago and two seasons in Ohio. In his 13-year career, Hoyer has appeared in 75 games, including 39 starts, and completed 60 percent of his passes with 53 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.
Hoyer has yet to play a single snap this season. The player last started in 2020 when he completed 15 out of 24 passes for 130 yards, one interception, and zero touchdowns in a 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He also led his team to lose in 11 consecutive starts from 2016 to 2020, the longest active streak in NFL history.