The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the New England Patriots at home on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, and that means they’re likely to face second-year quarterback Mac Jones. For what it’s worth, Jones sat out the Patriots’ Thursday practice due to an illness.
According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network on Thursday, Jones is getting the day off is because he is dealing with a stomach bug. The Patriots will have their final full practice on Friday before leaving for Pittsburgh. It will be interesting to see if he’s able to practice fully then.
Jones, who was dealing with back spasms after his team’s Sunday Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins, completed 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards with one touchdown and one interception in that contest. The Alabama product also lost a fumble in that Week 1 loss and was sacked twice.
While Jones was able finish the Week 1 game against the Dolphins, the team was reportedly concerned enough about his back discomfort that they ordered X-rays. The results of those came back with him only having back spasms.
“It feels good,” Jones said of his back on Wednesday. “Everything feels good. Just keeping it warm and throwing the football.”
Jones said on Wednesday that he expects to play on Sunday against the Steelers.
Longtime veteran backup quarterback Brian Hoyer would be the Patriots’ starter on Sunday against the Steelers should Jones ultimately be sidelined. Hoyer was once a member of the Steelers for a short span of time way back in 2012.
The Patriots’ full Thursday injury report should be out later in the day.
