BOSTON — The NFL will review a hit delivered by Mac Jones on Bengals cornerback Eli Apple with the potential of imposing discipline on the Patriots’ quarterback, according to a report by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Florio reported on Christmas night that a hit delivered by Jones on a play that had been whistled dead will be looked at by the league office on Monday or Tuesday.
“A suspension is currently believed to be unlikely, but it is one of the potential punishments,” Florio said.
Jones delivered the hit while trailing linebacker Germaine Pratt, who had recovered what looked like it could have been a fumble by Jones. Though the play was ultimately ruled an incomplete pass, Pratt continued on as if it was a live ball. Jones dropped to the turf and cut Apple out at the knees around the 25-yard line, drawing the ire of Apple after the game.
“I thought it was a dirty play,” Apple told NESN.com after the game. “He’s done that before, I’ve seen it.”
Jones has been under this microscope before. Last year, he grabbed and twisted the ankle of Panthers linebacker Brian Burns in the midst of a loose ball scramble in Carolina. This year, he slid with his cleats up high against Chicago, catching Jaquan Brisker in the groin. Neither of those plays resulted in a fine for Jones, but he’s now at risk of officially getting docked by the league for an illegal hit.
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