Mac Jones hoping to play for Patriots in Week 2 despite back injury
BOSTON -- One day after Mac Jones suffered a back injury, some details trickled out about his status.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday afternoon that Jones suffered back spasms during Sunday's Patriots loss in Miami. Rapoport added that there's "a chance" that Jones will be able to play in Week 2, a report which necessarily means that there's also a chance that Jones will not be able to play. Earlier Monday, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that Jones "felt notably better" when he returned to Foxboro after flying home with the team from Miami. And ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the injury is not serious, but his status for Week 2 obviously has not yet been determined.
Later on Monday, Jones spoke to the media over Zoom and confirmed that he's hopeful to play this coming Sunday in Pittsburgh.
"Yeah, I definitely feel better, and yeah, I want to be able to be ready to play against Pittsburgh, and I feel good," Jones said. "I wasn't feeling too hot after the game, but I definitely feel a lot better."
Jones said he believed the injury stemmed from a hit delivered by Jevon Holland -- a hit which was penalized for roughing the passer.
"I just kept playing and tried to work through it. It's football; you're gonna get hit," Jones said. "I've been hit harder before and will probably get hit harder in the future. So, it's part of the game and it's all good."
While the 24-year-old Jones clearly isn't all the way out of the woods, he just as clearly expressed a strong level of optimism for his status.
"Yeah, I think I'll be fine. Like I said, the trainers looked at it and I haven't had any issues with it before and don't expect any issues now," he said. "So everything's good."
Jones also said he anticipates being able to practice on Wednesday.
"Yeah, I'll be ready to practice and just watch film and do my normal routine and enjoy that and just get rehab like I always do and continue to get better and talk with the guys and come up with a game plan and hear what the coaches have to say and follow the game plan," Jones said. "And then just from there, stack good days, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and get ready to go for the next week."
Jones completed 21 of his 30 passes on Sunday for 213 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked twice, one of which led to a fumble and a defensive touchdown for Miami. He did not leave the game at any point due to the injury, but he was evaluated in the X-ray room at Hard Rock Stadium after the game, missing his postgame press conference.
As a rookie last year, Jones took 96.3 percent of the Patriots' offensive snaps, second on the team only to center David Andrews. Jones took all 57 of the Patriots' plays in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins.
