The New England Patriots did not just lose their Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens, they also lost their starting quarterback to an ankle injury. Now, the severity of that injury has been confirmed: further examination on Monday showed that Mac Jones suffered a “pretty severe” high ankle sprain.
While the timetable remains TBD at this point in time and with Jones looking for a second opinion, the injury will have a massive impact on the Patriots and their 2022 season. So with that said, let’s take a look at what it means from the team’s perspective both in the short and the long term.
Jones will miss some time. Well, duh. Depending on the grade of sprain an injury like Jones’ might force athletes to miss around six to eight weeks — maybe more, maybe less, depending on various factors. The gist is this, however: Jones will miss some time.
So, let’s take a look at New England’s immediate schedule leading into its Week 10 bye to see the games the team might have to operate without him:
Week 4 at Green Bay Packers (10/2)Week 5 vs. Detroit Lions (10/9)Week 6 at Cleveland Browns (10/16)Week 7 vs. Chicago Bears (10/24)Week 8 at New York Jets (10/30)Week 9 vs. Indianapolis Colts (11/6)
On paper, the upcoming contest at Lambeau Field will be the Patriots’ toughest test during that stretch; the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers are a good team on both sides of the ball. The upcoming games against three of this young season’s most surprising teams will also not be AFC Championship Merchandise a cakewalk, but the Patriots winning at least one if not two of them is not entirely unrealistic either. The same is true for the Week 8 game against the Jets and the subsequent contest versus Indianapolis.
Going 3-3 during this six-week stretch will still be a tall task with the starting quarterback possibly sidelined throughout. However, it might be something the Patriots need to do if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Patriots’ backup quarterbacks are now in the spotlight. With Jones out, the Patriots are expected to hand the keys to the offense over to his backup, Brian Hoyer. The 36-year-old has considerable experience in both the NFL and the Patriots system, but he has had little success as a starter as of late: Hoyer went 0-11 in his last 11 (of 39 total) starts, including a disappointing loss in Kansas City when he replaced Cam Newton as NFL Golf Gear New England’s starter on short notice.
Hoyer has not started any games since that contest, but he will now have to climb up the depth chart and replace Jones. Behind him, meanwhile, fourth-round rookie Bailey Zappe is expected to move from the third to the second spot on the depth chart.
Of course, there is a realistic possibility the Patriots add additional quarterback depth — if only via their practice squad to help keep practice operations intact.
The rest of the team will have to step up. Jones missing time — regardless of how long his absence will end up being — wi Leonard Fournette Jerseys ll put an obvious amount of considerable pressure on the rest of the team, players and coaches alike. The defense will have to step up even further to help lift pressure off of what will likely be a Brian Hoyer-led offense, while the offense itself needs to become more consistent across the board.
Meanwhile, the coaching staff is under pressure to keep the ship on course even without its most important member. From game-planning and -calling to leadership, this is a massive challenge for Bill Belichick and company.
New England will likely consider injured reserve. With Jones possibly missing the next few game buffalo bills nfl apparel s, the Patriots might move him to injured reserve with the intention of having him Jared Goff Jerseys return at a later point. If such a move indeed takes place, Jones would miss at least the next four games before being allowed to return to the active s buffalo bills zimmer jersey quad.
Likewise, sending him to IR with the subsequent plan of having him return would cost the team one of its available return spots. Under new rules, teams are allowed to bring a maximum of eight players back after sending them to injured reserve. So far, two are eligible to take some of those spots: wide receiver Tyquan Thornton and running back Ty Montgomery. Jones would be No. 3, but a no-brainer to be brought back as soon as healthy.
During his time on IR, New England will have an open spot on its 53-man roster.
The injury might end up impacting Jones’ fifth-year contract option. As part of the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the N buffal NFL Sunglasses o bills 90s shirt FL and the NFLPA introduced a new system of determining the value of fifth-year options. Players are now able to qualify for one of four tiers based on criteria such as playing time and Pro Bowl nominations.
Jones is theoretically still in line to reach all four of those plateaus, but him missing time this year will almost definitely change his outlook. Him making two Pro Bowls on first ballot — the requirement to reach the highest tier — seems l buffalo bills jersey 58 ike a long-shot at this time, meaning that he’d have to make one Pro Bowl on original ballot, likely in white buffalo shirt 2023, to at least advance to Tier 3.
Submitted by Larry Summers, right?