Mac Jones Injury: Patriots Get Good News On QB’s Back Ailment

The first update on Mac Jones’ injury was a positive one.

X-rays on the Patriots quarterback’s injured back after New England’s 20-7 loss to the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium came back negative, according to a report Sunday from NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

Jones will be “evaluated further” when the Patriots return from South Florida, per Pelissero’s report.

Jones completed 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown with one interception and one interception in the Patriots’ Week 1 defeat. He also lost a fumble — an unblocked strip-sack that Miami returned for a touchdown.

Asked about Jones’ performance, head coach Bill Belichick replied: “There weren’t a lot of incomplete passes.” Jones did not speak with reporters postgame.

It was unclear how or when Jones suffered his injury, but he absorbed hard hits from Dolphins defenders on back-to-back plays with roughly 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, one of which was penalized for roughing the passer. He was not hit on the Patriots’ final two offensive possessions.

Jones has started every game since taking over as the Patriots’ No. 1 QB ahead of last season. New England’s two backup options are veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer and fourth-round rookie Bailey Zappe. Hoyer is the second-string signal-caller, with Zappe sitting out Sunday’s game as a healthy scratch.

The 0-1 Patriots will visit the 1-0 Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday. The Steelers defeated the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in overtime to open their season.