With Mac Jones “screaming in pain” as he hobbled to the New England Patriots sideline and locker room it appears that New England will need to utilize other options at quarterback in the coming weeks.
The latest updates on Jones have the Patriots fearing that he has tendon and/or ligament damage according to Mike Giardi of the NFL Network and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that New England believes that Jones suffered a high ankle sprain.
It seems rather unlikely that Jones will be under center when Week 4 arrives. If that ends up happening it will be in a similar vein to Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert playing in Week 3 after suffering a rib injury a week prior.
With Jones likely unable to play, Brian Hoyer seems to be the next man up. Hoyer is 16-23 in his career and has thrown for over 10,500 yards and 53 touchdowns per Pro Football Reference.
How Much Faith Does New England Have in Hoyer?
After the Week 3 loss, multiple Patriots were asked about the possibility of Hoyer playing. Center and team captain David Andrews said that he has “tons” of faith in the veteran quarterback.
“Tons,” Andrews said when asked about how much faith the team has in Hoyer. “Brian [Hoyer] has been here for a long time. I’ve got a lot of respect for how he comes in, works every day and prepares like he is going to play.”
Kendrick Bourne also has faith in the quarterback and believes that the Patriots can survive without Jones.
“That’s a good question,” Bourne said. “Just taking faith in Brian. Pray that Mac is OK. Brian is a vet. He knows the system. He knows the reads. He knows the coaches. He just knows everything about this organization. I think we’ll be all right, man. It’s about us players complementing him, helping him. Whenever he messes up, we pick him up. If we mess up, he picks us up. I think that’s where the team aspect comes in.”
Tight end Jonnu Smith also said that the veterans, including Hoyer, can pick up the slack after Jones’ injury.
“The guys that we’ve got in this locker room,” Smith said, “I’m one veteran guy of many. Guys that have been in the league. Guys that have experienced things like this. Can’t look too far ahead. I don’t know the situation yet, but we just gotta continue to put our hard hat on, grab our lunch pail and go to work.”
How Much Would the Jones Injury Affect the Patriots?
Still, it’s hard to deny that losing Jones would have ripple effects across New England and even the entire NFL.
Smith acknowledged after the game that the Patriots would take an emotional hit if they lost Jones for some time and that the quarterback is a fighter.
“Absolutely,” Smith explained. “But the guys we got in this locker room, man, we can overcome that adversity. I don’t know where we’re going with [Jones’ injury], but I know we’ll be ready to face whatever comes our way. Mac’s a fighter. I don’t know how serious it is, but I’m 100 percent sure if he can play, he will play.”
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Patriots Have ‘Tons’ of Faith in Backup QB After Mac Jones Injury