Patriots fans were shown a scary scene in Sunday’s 37-26 loss to the Ravens, as Mac Jones was taken to the locker room
Jones left the game late in the fourth quarter hopping on his right leg, seemingly unable to put any pressure whatsoever on his left after suffering a serious hit from the Ravens’ Calais Campbell.
Jones has already dealt with injury this year, as he injured his back in Week 1’s loss to the Dolphins.
It’s the second time in three weeks Jones hasn’t been able to speak to media after the game due to injury.
Mac Jones came off the field unable to put weight on his left leg after the previous play. pic.twitter.com/ai4K0VoBWE
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 25, 2022
The Patriots have limited options at quarterback with the injury, with 2022 fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe as the third-stringer behind Brian Hoyer. Hoyer is a veteran who is in his second stint with the Patriots, so he doesn’t have to worry about learning an offense for the Patriots.
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Who is the Patriots backup quarterback?
Hoyer is the second stringer for Bill Belichick and the Patriots, so if Jones ends up missing significant time he’ll have to pick up the slack.
He’ll have a bit of work to do, with the Dolphins surprising at 3-0 this year and the Bills looking like one of the best teams in the league at full strength (not to disrespect Miami, who beat the Bills Sunday in a thrilling finish).
The Patriots, already 1-2, have looked up and down all year, so they’ll look for steadiness out of the veteran Hoyer.
Patriots center David Andrews, unsurprisingly, didn’t miss a beat when asked how much confidence he has in Hoyer.
“Tons. Brian’s been here a long time,” Andrews said, via ESPN. “I have a lot of respect for how he comes in and works every day and prepares like he is going to play.”
What are Brian Hoyer’s stats?
Hoyer has seen a decent amount of playing time throughout his lengthy career, playing in 75 games and starting 39. He has a 16-23 record as a starter, but playcalling has been conservative with him at the helm.
Hoyer has appeared in six games for the Patriots but only started one, which was in 2020. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 130 yards and an interception in a 26-10 loss to the Chiefs.
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For his career, Hoyer has completed 897 of 1,512 passes for 10,631 yards, 53 touchdowns, and 35 interceptions.
Perhaps the best litmus test of what the Patriots could be in for 2014, when Hoyer started 13 games. In that span, he completed 55.3 percent of his passes 3,326 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. That measurement is imperfect however, given Hoyer was 29 at the time and is now in his age-36 season.
What is the Patriots schedule?
If Hoyer starts next week, he’l have his work cut out for him against the Green Bay Packers in a 4:25 start.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Kickoff time | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sept. 11 | at Dolphins | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 2 | Sept. 18 | at Steelers | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 3 | Sept. 25 | vs. Ravens | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 4 | Oct. 2 | at Packers | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 5 | Oct. 9 | vs. Lions | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 6 | Oct. 16 | at Browns | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 7 | Oct. 24 (MNF) | vs. Bears | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| 8 | Oct. 30 | at Jets | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 9 | Nov. 6 | vs. Colts | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 10 | BYE | |||
| 11 | Nov. 20 | vs. Jets | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 12 | Nov. 24 (TNF) | at Vikings | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC |
| 13 | Dec. 1 (TNF) | vs. Bills | 8:20 p.m. ET | Prime Video |
| 14 | Dec. 12 (MNF) | at Cardinals | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| 15 | Dec. 18 | at Raiders | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC |
| 16 | Dec. 24 | vs. Bengals | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 17 | Jan. 1 | vs. Dolphins | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 18 | Jan. 7 or 8 | at Bills | TBD | TBD |
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