Jones hinted that he'll be ready to go Monday night against the Texans, while Mankins sounds like a game-time decision.
Logan Mankins
FOXBOROUGH – One announced that he’s playing and then backpedaled off that statement, while the other said that his body would make the call.
The New England Patriots are quickly approaching their biggest game of the season, Monday night’s showdown against the Houston Texans, yet it still hasn’t been determined if defensive end Chandler Jones and offensive guard Logan Mankins will be on the field.
Jones, who missed consecutive games with an ankle injury, appears on be on the faster track to a return. The rookie pronounced that he’s, “Ready to play against the Texans,” before realizing that he may have tipped his hand and saying that it was Bill Belichick’s decision.
Still, after recording six sacks and hopping on the short list of Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates, Jones made it clear that he’s ready to get back to work.
“We went out there and we won the (AFC East title), and I wasn’t out there,” Jones said. “But I’m still thankful to be a part of this team.”
Mankins’ situation finds itself under a brighter light this week with the Patriots coming up a defense that is third in the NFL with 36 sacks.
He did not, however, make any proclamations about his status and said that he will likely be a game-time decision.
“My body will decide,” he said.
Health has been an ongoing battle this season for Mankins. He’s missed the last two after having his ankle rolled on in a Nov. 11 win over the Buffalo Bills. When that happened, his mind immediately raced to the worst possible outcome and all he could do is hope for the best.
It was the latest incident in a string of bad luck. Mankins was slowed this year with an injured hip, which caused him to miss time. For a player who never lost a game due to injury prior to last season, it’s been a frustrating situation.
“It’s been a couple games here, miss a couple, then a couple here, and miss a few,” Mankins, who has played six games this season, said. “It’s just one of those years where I can’t get on track.”
Mankins said his situation isn’t about managing pain as much as it is his body refusing to cooperate with him. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 1 of last season, yet still managed to miss only one game.
His longstanding joke about pain has been to “tape an aspirin on it and go.” This time, though, the “go” hasn’t been able to get started.
“Some injuries you can play through. Some restrict your ability to play,” Mankins said. “When it restricts your ability, you can’t play. You’ll just hurt the team if you just get beat all the time.”