Patriots vs. Packers Injury Report: Mac Jones Out; Who's In?
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FOXBORO — The New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers have released their final injury and practice participation reports ahead of their Week 4 showdown in Wisconsin.
The Pats and the Pack are set to square off on Sunday, Oct 2. at 1 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field.
While New England’s highest-profile offensive player will be sidelined for this contest, both teams’ respective lists of ‘questionables’ may provide some additional insight on potential inactives.
Here is Friday afternoon’s full report:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
OUT
OL Yodny Cajuste - Thumb (Did Not Practice)
QB Mac Jones - Ankle (DNP)
DL Lawrence Guy - Shoulder (DNP)
QUESTIONABLE
S Joshuah Bledsoe - Groin (Limited Practice)
S Kyle Dugger - Knee (LP)
DL Davon Godchaux - Back (LP)
LB Raekwon McMillan - Thumb (LP)
WR Jakobi Meyers, Knee (LP)
CB Jalen Mills, Hamstring (LP)
S Adrian Phillips - Ribs (LP)
What it means for the Patriots:
With Jones officially unable to play against Green Bay, veteran Brian Hoyer will start Sunday, as Patriots coach Bill Belichick confirmed while speaking with reporters on Wednesday. The 14-year veteran took all the team’s first-team reps in practice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, as the Pats are likely to make some minor adjustments to their offensive game plan. Rookie Bailey Zappe will serve as his backup.
In addition to Jones, both defensive tackle Lawrence Guy and reserve swing offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste will be sidelined for Week 4. While Cajuste’s absence thins the Pats depth along the offensive line, Guy’s presence will be missed on the inside. Green Bay’s rushing tandem of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon has been quite the formidable duo. The Packers average 128 yards per game on the ground, which ranks ninth, as well as 4.7 per carry (10th) as well. With Guy on the shelf for much of the Pats Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, New England struggled to maintain their stout performance against the run. The showing dropped their ranking to 19th in the league in yards (115) and 22nd in per-carry average (4.9) for run defense.
While safety Kyle Dugger and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers missed last week’s loss to the Ravens, each with knee injuries, neither player missed any practice time this week. The overall hope is that both Dugger and Meyers will be able to play on Sunday.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
OUT
T Caleb Jones - Illness (DNP)
QUESTIONABLE
CB Jaire Alexander - Groin (LP)
What it means for the Packers:
In contrast to their New England counterparts, Green Bay is entering this game relatively healthy. While right tackle Caleb Jones will sit out due to illness, both starting tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins will be active to provide strength and protection for Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
While he has yet to be ruled out, cornerback Jaire Alexander continued to be bothered by a groin injury throughout the week. Should he be able to suit up, his mobility is likely to be compromised. This may allow a window of opportunity for Hoyer and the Pats passing game to test the abilities of fellow starter Eric Stokes as well as backups Rasul Douglas and Kelsean Nixon.
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