Patriots' Mac Jones: Injured Ankle 'Feels Pretty Good' Ahead of Week 7 vs. Bears

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones expects to be available for Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears, per ESPN's Mike Reiss, and he told reporters Friday that his injured ankle is feeling much better.

Jones said when asked if his ankle feels good enough for a return to the field:

"Yeah, I think it feels pretty good. Just trying to work through all the stuff of being able to play in an NFL football game. I want to be able to go out there and help the team. Once I'm there, I'm there. So I'm definitely making progress, and we've done a good job with the treatment."

Jones has missed New England's last three games while nursing a high ankle sprain. The team has gone 2-1 in his absence. The only loss came in overtime to the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 2.

The 24-year-old second-year quarterback suffered the ankle injury in a Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Before going down, he had completed 66 percent of his passes for 786 yards and two touchdowns against five interceptions.

Veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer was set to take over for Jones, but he suffered a concussion against the Packers and was replaced by rookie Bailey Zappe, who has started since.

The 2022 fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky has completed 72.9 percent of his passes for 596 yards and four touchdowns against one interception in three games. His performance has led to some questioning whether he should be New England's starter moving forward.

However, if Jones is healthy, he'll more than likely continue to serve as QB1 of Bill Belichick's squad.

The Patriots are 3-3 on the season, tied with the Miami Dolphins for the worst record in the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills are 5-1, and the New York Jets are 4-2.