Patriots QB Mac Jones reportedly ‘believes he can play’ against Lions on Sunday

Oct 5, 2022 - 7:20 PM

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Mac Jones was out at practice for the New England Patriots on Wednesday, and he did so with hopes to play on Sunday. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jones will “push to play” against the Detroit Lions in Week 5.

“I know Mac Jones is going to try to push to play,” Rapoport said Wednesday. “I know he believes he can play this Sunday. We’ll see if he’s able to. There’s definitely a time last week, late in the week, when he thought he’d be able to play, too. Did not end up participating in practice, was not able to play. If he’s listed as limited [Wednesday], I’d say at least that means he’s got a shot of being out there on Sunday.”

While Jones upped his participation at practice compared to last week during the media viewing portion, he still walked with a noticeable limp. As high ankle sprains usually linger for multiple weeks, a return after just a one game absence would seem ambitious, but not yet completely out of the picture.

“If it is humanely possible for Mac Jones to be out on the field, he will be out there this week,” Rapoport added. “But the fact that he’s out there [on Wednesday] is probably a good sign.”

Besides Jones, quarterback Brian Hoyer (head) was not present at the start of practice Wednesday.

If neither quarterback can go, it will likely pave the path for rookie Bailey Zappe to receive his first career start. Zappe would likely be backed-up by recently-signed practice squad quarterback Garrett Gilbert.