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Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was ruled out for Sunday’s game against Green Bay with an ankle injury. Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Though he returned to the practice field Friday, Mac Jones won’t be playing this weekend in Green Bay.

The Patriots’ starting quarterback was ruled out for Sunday’s game because of an ankle injury, along with defensive lineman Lawrence Guy (shoulder) and tackle Yodny Cajuste (thumb). New England also listed seven players as questionable, including safety Kyle Dugger (knee) and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (knee), both of whom missed last week’s loss to the Ravens.

Jones returned to practice and was present for stretching on Friday afternoon, but the Patriots say he didn’t participate when things actually got rolling. During the media window, Jones was on the far end of the field tossing a football, but he wasn’t really stepping into his throws and his mobility was clearly hindered; he didn’t look like a quarterback that would be ready to play on Sunday.

In Jones’ absence, veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer will get the start at quarterback.

On Friday morning, Coach Bill Belichick was far more forthcoming than he’d been, and peeled back the curtain a bit on how decisions on injured players are made if they’re cleared to play.

“There’s a medical evaluation, you talk to the player,” Belichick said. “Then as a coach you, at whatever point, get the information that you get and you make a decision if there’s a decision can be made. If there’s no decision to be made medically, then I’m out of it.

“But if there’s a decision they made, that a player’s at X percent, he can do this, the player feels like he can do this, he’s ready to play, then I’ll make a decision. Do I want this player at X percent or somebody else at, let’s call it, 100 percent? But a lot of times, it never gets to that point. Occasionally, it does. If it does, then that becomes my decision in consultation with the player and usually his position coach or the staff.”


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