Mac Jones reportedly telling teammates not to count him out vs. Packers

FOXBORO — It seems pretty unlikely that Mac Jones will be able to play this weekend after the Patriots quarterback suffered what is being reported as a high ankle sprain last Sunday. But Jones is reportedly telling teammates not to count him out for New England’s Week 4 tilt in Green Bay.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Giardi, Jones is participating in New England’s game planning ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Packers. The quarterback is “still operating as if he has a chance” to play, according to the report.

That would be pretty impressive, considering how much pain Jones was in as he was helped off the field in Week 3. Jones was hit on his final pass of the game when Baltimore’s Calais Campbell put a huge hit on the QB and then fell onto his ankle. Mac hopped off the field before he was helped to the locker room.

But Jones and Bill Belichick have been saying all week that they’re taking the injury “day by day,” and on Wednesday, Belichick said that the 24-year-old had made good progress over the last 48 hours.

Maybe this is all just some mind games from the Patriots, a way of keeping the Packers guessing for as long as possible. It’s hard to rule anything out with Bill Belichick. But maybe Jones got a very promising second opinion on his ankle, and gave him a boost of confidence that he may have a shot at suiting up on Sunday.

And even if he doesn’t play on Sunday, maybe his recovery time won’t be as long as initially anticipated. That’s a lot of maybes, but that’s what you get with the Patriots staying tight-lipped on the matter.

Jones did not practice on Wednesday, but we’ll see if he can make it to the field on Thursday when the Patriots hold their second practice of the week at 12:35 p.m. If Jones can’t play on Sunday, Belichick said that veteran Brian Hoyer would get the start at quarterback.

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