Getty New England Patriots, Mac Jones
The New England Patriots and Mac Jones are not out for the woods.
While X-rays were negative following Jones’ seemingly painful ankle injury, NFL.com’s Mike Giardi confirms those tests wouldn’t ease what would be considered the Patriots’ biggest fears.
With an MRI scheduled for tomorrow, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, the Patriots will soon know how long they will be without Jones in the lineup.
Veteran backup Brian Hoyer is expected to step in and start for Jones however long he is out, with rookie Bailey Zappe likely serving as the backup. Considering Jones has struggled, there may be more on the line for the Patriots than the handful of games Mac might be out of action.
Could Mac Jones Lose His Job Permanently?
The Patriots aren’t strangers to seemingly entrenched starting quarterbacks losing their jobs to their backups because of injury. We all know it happened when Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury in 2000, and Tom Brady took over for him and never looked back.
Jones is no Bledsoe, and Hoyer is certainly no Brady, but is there a scenario where we could see the former kept out of the lineup even once he’s healthy–if the Patriots go on a run while he’s injured?
The answer is probably no, though things might be a little more interesting if it were rookie Bailey Zappe stepping in for Jones and not Hoyer. However, the concept is interesting because Jones hasn’t played well consistently this season.
As a matter of fact, he hasn’t been very good, dating back to the latter weeks of the 2021 season. While Jones did eclipse the 300-yard passing mark on Sunday in the 37-26 loss in the home opener to the Baltimore Ravens, the second-year QB threw 3 interceptions. Two of those picks were of the egregious variety.
Jones has thrown 2 touchdowns, run for 1, and thrown 5 interceptions for the year. That’s not ideal, and had Jones not been injured on Sunday, his poor decision-making would be the biggest story in Patriots Nation.
Most Patriots fans probably aren’t happy with Jones being out, but they might feel better about the next few weeks if Zappe was set to get his opportunity.
Reaction to Brian Hoyer Potentially Being Named Starter
The word is out. If Jones is injured or is even placed on injured reserve–which mandates an absence of at least four weeks–Hoyer will be the starting quarterback. As that information was shared, the social media reaction was predominantly negative.
Political blogger Charles P. Pierce mocked the potential restart of the “Hoyer Era.”
The Brian Hoyer Era begins in Foxboro for the 49th time.
The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin believes CBS, the network carrying the Patriots’ visit to Lambeau Field to challenge the Green Bay Packers in Week 4, will be disappointed.
CBS is going to be bummed next week when its Game of the Week turns out to be Aaron Rodgers vs. Brian Hoyer
Jones isn’t exactly Brady, who the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers defeated in Week 3, but the Pats’ young quarterback has more weight attached to his name than Hoyer.
WEEI’s Mark Dondero had a simple and straightforward reaction to the possibility of Hoyer stepping in for Jones.
Please not Brian Hoyer.
It seems safe to say that expectations are pretty low for Hoyer if he is the starter next week.