A rough day for quarterback Mac Jones and the New England Patriots just got rougher as reports came out after Sunday’s 20-7 loss to the Miami Dolphins that the Pats quarterback may have injured his back.
Jones and the Pats’ offense struggled all afternoon against the Dolphins and couldn’t seem to get going. Now we may know why. After the game, the second-year starter was not available to answer questions about his potential injury.
#Patriots announce Mac Jones has a back injury and will not be available to reporters.
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) September 11, 2022
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added that an initial X-ray was negative on Jones’s back, though he’ll be receiving further evaluations when the team returns to Foxborough.
X-rays were negative on #Patriots QB Mac Jones' injured back, per source. He'll be evaluated further when the team gets back to Foxborough.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 11, 2022
To be fair, Jones didn’t play badly. He completed 21-30 passes for 213 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. However, he was sacked twice, one of which was a huge blindside hit that led to a fumble and Miami touchdown. Jones appeared to be okay after the game.
Head coach Bill Belichick seemed to be unaware of Jones’ injury when asked about his play in the game. Jones didn’t receive much help today from the Patriots’ offensive line or his running backs.
The last thing the Pats need is to have a major injury to their quarterback. Brian Hoyer is Jones’ backup and he can step in if needed but it’s certainly not the team’s preference.
One thing is certain, Jones or not, the Patriots have a lot to work on going into next week’s game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
{ESPN, Jim McBride}
About Stacey Mickles
Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.