Patriots at Packers Injury Report: Mac Jones Status, Starting DL Out?

New England listed three non-participants while Green Bay welcomed two key players on offense back to the practice fields on Thursday.

FOXBORO — As the New England Patriots prepare for their upcoming showdown with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, each player’s game status is becoming the subject of additional speculation.

Here is Thursday’s full report, along with its potential implications for the Pats-Packers matchup in Week 4:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

OL Yodny Cajuste - Thumb

QB Mac Jones - Ankle

DL Lawrence Guy - Shoulder

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

S Joshuah Bledsoe - Groin

S Kyle Dugger - Knee

DL Davon Godchaux - Back

LB Raekwon McMillan - Thumb

WR Jakobi Meyers, Knee

CB Jalen Mills, Hamstring

S Adrian Phillips - Ribs

What it means for the Patriots: 

Despite reports suggesting that he might be making an effort to suit up for Sunday’s contest, starting quarterback Mac Jones was absent from the media portion of Thursday’s practice. He was eventually listed as a non-participant. The 24-year-old continues to assess his recovery on a ‘day-by-day’ basis, and has yet to be placed on injured reserve. As such, his game day availability will continue to be the subject of speculation. However, Jones is attempting to recover from a serious injury in short order. 

Though the spirit may be willing, at least one of Jones’ teammates is cognizant of the amount of pain he is currently feeling.

Text from a #Patriots player, "Love Mac (Jones). Tough, tough, tough guy. But he's hurting pretty good. Hope everyone's smart about this. It's a long season." https://t.co/eJzk3Cc1Yx

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 29, 2022

In addition to Jones, and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy (who was absent for the second straight day), reserve swing tackle Yodny Cajuste was added to the list of non-participants with a thumb ailment. Although Cajuste is considered to be New England’s top back up at the tackle position, he has sparingly seen the field due to the starters having played nearly every down since the start of the season. In total, he has taken a total of 10 offensive snaps, along with nine on special teams.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

CB Jaire Alexander - Groin

T David Bakhtiari - Knee

TE Marcedes Lewis - Groin

T Caleb Jones - Illness

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

G/T Elgton Jenkins - Knee

WR Allen Lazard - Ankle

FULL PARTICIPATION

RB AJ Dillon - Knee

LB Jonathan Garvin - Hip

WR Christian Watson - Hamstring

What it means for the Packers: 

For Green Bay, a pair of former All-Pros at their respective positions were downgraded from limited to non-participants on Thursday. The absences of cornerback Jaire Alexander (groin) and offensive tackle David Bakhtiari (knee) cast additional doubt on their status for Week 4. While it remains possible that Thursday could be a ‘get right’ day of rest for each player, their presence (or lack thereof) on the practice fields for Friday’s session will be a key indicator of their ability to play against the Pats.

Despite being listed as limited participants on Wednesday, running back A.J. Dillon (knee) and rookie wide receiver Christian Watson (hamstring) were upgraded to full participants, all but ensuring that both will be available on Sunday.

The Pats and Packers continue to prepare for their Oct. 2 battle with kickoff set for 4:25 p.m. ET from Lambeau Field.

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