Mac Jones needed to make a pit stop before he spoke with reporters after the Patriots’ loss to the Colts on Sunday.

A shirtless Jones was spotted walking with a towel over his head to the X-ray room at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany following the 10-6 verdict. The testing on Jones was conducted roughly a half hour after the third-year quarterback was benched in favor of Bailey Zappe for New England’s final possession of the Week 10 contest.

Jones eventually made his way to the podium and was asked about the X-ray he received. The 25-year-old claimed he was feeling “good” and merely dealing with “a little bruise,” per NESN.com’s Zack Cox.

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Removing Jones in crunch time certainly appeared to be a performance-based decision by Bill Belichick and company rather than one made due to injury. The 2021 first-rounder completed 75% of his passes, but for only 170 yards while taking a season-high five sacks. Jones also threw a crippling red-zone interception that proved to be his final pass on the afternoon.

The Alabama product will have time to rest up and deal with his apparently minor injury, as the Patriots don’t return to game action until after their Week 11 bye. However, there’s no guarantee Jones will get the nod for New England’s road matchup with the New York Giants on Nov. 26, even if he’s fully healthy. Belichick did not offer a definitive answer about New England’s QB situation after his team dropped to 2-8.

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