Patriots fans may have been nauseous watching the team's offense in a 20-7 season-opening loss at the hands of the rival Dolphins. Now, their quarterback is sick as well. A day after he participated fully in practice despite a back injury, Mac Jones was absent Thursday due to an undisclosed illness, the team announced. The sickness is not COVID-related, per NFL Media, but rather a stomach issue, prompting New England to excuse the 2021 first-rounder for at least a day.
It's unclear whether Jones' illness could put his Week 2 status in jeopardy. The QB was expected to be a full go for Sunday's game against the Steelers after partaking in Wednesday's practice. The Patriots did not make Jones available to the media following their Week 1 loss, however, after the second-year starter underwent X-rays for a back issue suffered against Miami. The QB's X-rays were negative, according to NFL Media, but he had been battling back spasms.
In Jones' absence, 36-year-old backup Brian Hoyer will take the interim QB1 reps. The 14th-year veteran, on his third stint with the Patriots, has started 39 games in his career. Rookie fourth-rounder Bailey Zappe is also on the active depth chart at QB.
Jones, meanwhile, has endured a rough stretch under new play-caller Matt Patricia, who was appointed to help oversee the offense despite previously working as coach Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator. After a sloppy preseason, Jones was sacked twice and had two turnovers in Week 1, though he downplayed concerns to reporters this week.
"It's Week 1 and we did a lot of good things out there," Jones said, per Boston.com. "We're moving in the right direction in practice. A lot of the communication is improving and that's what happens as the season goes along. You fix the things you want to work on and keep the things that you're doing well. We feel confident about it and we just have to go out there and do it, really. There's no talking to be done."
