Mac Jones injury: Patriots quarterback ruled out for Sunday against Green Bay

The New England Patriots are off to a 1-2 start, and while they have answered some of the questions facing them this offseason, some questions still remain.

Perhaps the most pressing question is whether they will have starting quarterback Mac Jones available this Sunday when they travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.

Friday afternoon, news broke that Jones was ruled out of Sunday’s game against Green Bay:

Previously, New England head coach Bill Belichick indicated that if Jones could not play on Sunday, then veteran Brian Hoyer would get the start. That seems to be the plan for New England as they look ahead to Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field:

Earlier on Friday, a report from Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald, who covers the Patriots, indicated that Jones could be a “game-time decision” on Sunday after responding to treatment received during this week:

The quarterback was spotted at the start of New England’s Friday practice, in uniform:

As the team began to workout, Jones stayed off to the side, throwing passes with his injured ankle taped:

Still, Jones’ presence at the start of practice is not a clear indication of his status for Saturday. As noted by Andrew Callahan, who also covers the Patriots for the Boston Herald, other players with New England have practice on Friday and then been ruled out, with “far less significant injuries” than Jones’ high ankle sprain:

Jones suffered a high ankle sprain on his final throw against the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday, in a game New England lost by a final score of 37-26. The quarterback was in visible pain, and was carried to the locker room after the injury.

X-rays of the ankle showed no fractures, and Jones was diagnosed with the high ankle sprain. Initial reports out of New England indicated that the sprain was “severe,” and that missing multiple games was on the table:

Jones met with the media earlier this week, and deflected any and all questions about his status for Sunday to his head coach:

Speaking of Bill Belichick, the coach also deflected questions about Jones’ injury, in the most Bill Belichick-way possible:

“Do you think I’m gonna read the MRI?”

Belichick also created some content fodder with the number of times he used the phrase “day-by-day:”

Jones did not participate in practice on Wednesday:

Nor was the quarterback spotted at the start of practice on Thursday:

When the Thursday injury report was released, Jones was given yet another “Did Not Participate” designation:

Still, the second-year passer is participating in game planning with an eye towards playing, and has told teammates not to “count him out:”

If Jones does end up playing on Sunday, he will do so a week after suffering a “severe” high ankle sprain, and after seeing minimal practice time.

Should Jones be unavailable for Sunday’s game against the Packers, New England will look to veteran backup Brian Hoyer to get the start. Hoyer’s last NFL start came back during the 2020 season against the Kansas City Chiefs, when he was pressed into action after Patriots starting quarterback Cam Newton tested positive late in the week. In a game that was moved due to multiple COVID tests, and saw the Patriots fly to Kansas City on the day of the game, Hoyer completed 15 of 24 passes for 130 yards and an interception.

Hoyer appeared in five games for New England last season in mop-up duty.