Arnav Sharma, Author at Pro Football Press

Mac Jones’ Ankle Severely Injured in Patriots Loss to Ravens

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots fell flat yet again in a 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones putting forth one of his most horrendous displays as the team’s centerpiece, passing for three interceptions with a notable dropped pick six.

The Patriots quarterback saw his afternoon go from bad to worse when Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell fell on Jones’ leg on the team’s last offensive play of the game. With Campbell dragging Jones down and allowing all 300 pounds of body weight to contort the quarterback’s ankle, Jones immediate came up hobbling and in pain.

Jones was immediately greeted by the team’s athletic trainer on the sidelines and made his way directly to the locker room, despite time remaining in the game. The Patriots quarterback was subsequently seen exiting the X-Ray room with the trainer following the game.

Judging from his immediate reaction during the injury, Jones might be out for a significant portion of time — perhaps even for the season. Jones’ injury is most likely a serious high-ankle sprain.

While normal low-ankle sprains happen with internal rotation (like rolling your ankle while playing basketball), high-ankle sprains happen with external rotation. This makes them common in contact sports like football.

High-ankle sprains actually occur when the ligaments connecting the leg bones just above the ankle (tibia and fibula) are stretched out with this external rotation. They generally take around two months (~8 weeks) to heal. Therefore, if Jones returns for the Patriots, he may be able to return for the team’s Week 11 home matchup against the New York Jets.

Mac Jones’ Injury is Concerning for Patriots

The New England Patriots quarterback dealt with back spasms following a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

On its own merits, New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones’ injury itself doesn’t actually seem to be that bad.

The second-year quarterback was spotted walking gingerly towards the X-Ray room at Hard Rock Stadium following the team’s week one loss to the Miami Dolphins. Fortunately, the X-Ray came back negative for any major issues. Reports now point to back spasms as the main culprit in Jones’ post-game limp.

Back spasms are among the most common injuries across sports in general. They involve involuntary muscle contractions (tightening) and can be due to a variety of factors, including overuse, dehydration, and drained electrolytes. Basically, they’re back cramps.

So to put this as simply as possible, Jones had cramps after a hot game down in Miami. As Ian Rapoport put it, this is a “best case scenario.”

The most significant cause for worry with Jones’ injury comes from his back spasms most likely being due to overuse. In his first game of the season, Jones passed 30 times (not a crazy high amount). However, a good chunk (14, by my count) of these were past the line of scrimmage and to the sidelines while under duress — this usually meant that Jones was fading while delivering throws that required more power. Because of this, Jones may have been forced to rotate more explosively with his core, leading to the fatigue-based injury.

Of course, this isn’t really Jones’ fault at all. The Patriots offensive line was horrendous in pass protection. This brings me to the most worrying part of Jones’ injury. With the New England offensive line struggling with communication throughout training camp and preseason, their woes continued into week one. Seven of Miami’s points came as a direct result of this inefficacy. With Jones constantly having to go to the sidelines, the offense felt hard-pressed to find any yardage at all.

Jones is a pocket passer. To a great extent, this is because of necessity and not choice. The offensive line absolutely has to give Jones a clean pocket for the offense to have any kind of success this season. The alternative doesn’t just include offensive failure through the season; there’s a good chance it could mean cascading injuries for the team’s franchise quarterback.

The GOAT Disappoints in Return to Foxborough

Most Anticipated Game Ever?

Sunday night was a quintessential cold and rainy fall night in Foxborough. But the nippy weather didn’t matter to the sixty-six thousand fans packed into a full Gillette Stadium; they were there for something bigger.

For four gripping hours, the entire sporting world stood still in wonder of, perhaps the most hyped up regular season game of all time. In the midst of the dreamlike night, an emotional New England crowd, arms wide open, welcomed back the man who had for so long been the source of their happiness. The GOAT.

But boy did Antonio Brown disappoint.

Despite a respectable box score of 7 catches on 11 targets for 63 yards, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Brown jealed for a good portion of the game.

Brown’s Middling Performance

Brown saw most of his initial production come on quick hitters while matched up against Jon Jones, the New England Patriots’ primary nickel corner. Despite Jones playing most of his career snaps lined up in the slot, he tracked Brown around the field on Sunday night in a direct man-to-man matchup.

Nearly half of Brown’s yardage came on a single 27-yard deep throw late in the first quarter, during which a perfectly placed back shoulder allowed Brown to separate at the last second from Jones.

After a few more quick throws, Brown had a chance to shine in the red zone before the end of the half. However, he dropped two (admittedly poorly placed) back shoulder bullets that forced the offense to settle for field goals.

On a big third down early in the third quarter, Brown finally made a big play on a 44 yard catch… only for it to be called back due to a hands-to-the-face penalty on the left tackle.

Brown’s return to New England was a filled with missed opportunities. His inability to convert in big moments became most evident on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ last offensive drive.

After a miscommunication on deep throw on second down in the red zone, Brown had a chance to redeem himself. On third down, quarterback Tom Brady (fun fact, Brady used to play for the Patriots) threw a deep strike that surgically hit Brown in the worst place possible: his hands. Of course, Brown dropped the dime, ruining what could’ve been his signature moment in his return home.

Though this will go down in the stats sheets as a routine game for the receiver, there’s no doubt that New England fans will be talking about the disappointment of Brown’s mediocre return for years to come.

Author Archives: Arnav Sharma