For the second time in three games, New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was unable to hold his postgame press conference because he was being assessed for an injury.
Following the Patriots’ 20–7 loss to the Miami Dolphins in their season opener on September 11, Jones suffered a back injury from a passer-roughing penalty. The former Alabama All-American played all of the offensive snaps in that game and was also back for all of Game 2, when New England beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14 last week.
The Patriots hope to be just as lucky this time around.
In New England’s final offensive snap in a 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Jones was hit by defensive end Calais Campbell on a deep throw that was intercepted by the cornerback Marcus Peters on the last game before the two-minute warning.
Jones jumped off the court without putting weight on his left leg and was carried to the locker room.
After the game, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he couldn’t provide an update on Jones’ condition.
NFL Network reported that although the X-rays were negative, New England was evaluating Jones for tendon or ligament damage in his left ankle.
“They made a few plays to get the ball moving, and it’s just a pass-rush mentality all over the court,” Campbell said. “I think I was just trying to put pressure on him, hit him, make him feel uncomfortable and get him to throw an interception. And I think it was just a good game of football.
“I hate to see him get hurt. That’s the worst part of this game. You never want to see guys get hurt. Hope he’s okay.
Jones completed 22 of 31 passes for 321 yards without a touchdown and three interceptions against Baltimore. The game was Jones’ second with three interceptions. The other also happened in Week 3 of the season last year.
Jones scored the first rushing touchdown of his career on a 3-yard run with 5:58 left in the first half on Sunday.
The Patriots’ next game is at 3:25 p.m. CDT on October 2, when New England visits the Green Bay Packers.
“Obviously playing quarterback in this league you take a few hits. It’s tough,” Patriots goaltender Devin McCourty said. “You asked for the level of concern. I have no idea because I know if he has something he can play with, he will play with it. We will have to see what it is and go from there as a team. I think we will continue to rally behind him.
“I think we’ve always talked about it all my time here, it’s always the mentality of the next man if it comes down to it. We’ll wait and see what Monday and Tuesday will look like. We’ll prepare to leave on Wednesday for the next week.
In his 13th season in the NFL, Brian Hoyer is Jones’ backup.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
