Mac Jones ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Packers

After a week of speculation, it turns out Mac Jones won’t be playing in Week 4.

The Patriots have officially announced that their starting quarterback is out for Sunday’s game against the Packers due to the ankle injury he suffered in Week 3 against the Ravens.

Jones was on the practice field Friday after missing the last two practices. However, Jones was listed as a non-participant on the Patriots’ latest injury report of the week.

In addition to Jones training on Friday, there have been reports that have raised optimism that he could play on Sunday. Jones was telling his teammates not to count him out and he was involved in planning the game like he could play, NFL Network’s Mike Giardi reported on Thursday. There was also some hope that Jones could be a game-time decision maker, the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian reported Friday.

With Jones out, Brian Hoyer will start for the Patriots on Sunday. Hoyer hasn’t started since 2020, playing in the Patriots’ Week 4 loss to the Chiefs. Although this was Hoyer’s only start with the Patriots, he started 39 games during his 14-year career with other teams, losing his last 11 starts.

Jones reportedly suffered a “serious” sprained ankle when Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell hit him on his last pitch of the game. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Jones’ high-gravity ankle sprain would usually require surgery to recover, but Jones reportedly sought a second opinion on the matter earlier in the week.