Chandler Jones still expected to miss at least six weeks
New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones suffered a hip injury and was initially expected to be out for four weeks, and that timetable continues to be the bare minimum for his return. However, it’s more likely for him to miss six weeks and return for a big Week 13 battle against the Green Bay Packers, though he could, of course, be held out for longer than that.
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CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora tweets that because Jones’s hip needs time to heal, he expects the young DE to miss at least six weeks, which is right in line with the timetable the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe reported. Howe reported that Jones could even miss the rest of the season, but that doesn’t appear to be the case, because La Canfora reported earlier today that Jones does not have a torn labrum and will not need surgery on his hip.
All in all, the news regarding Jones’s hip injury is good at this point, because he is expected to be back in time to make a big impact in the playoffs. The Patriots definitely need that to happen, because they don’t have a consistent pass rusher outside of Jones, who is easily their most talented defensive lineman. With 4.5 sacks this season, it’s been Jones leading the way for the Patriots pass rush, which continues to be a significant weakness for this team.