Before anyone gets any ideas, let the record show that Mac Jones doesn't seem to have any interest in sparking a quarterback controversy in San Francisco.
Sure, there will be some talk show hosts who raise that possibility over the next 24 hours, as well as some fans who may be ready to crown Mac Jones as the full-time starter after he led the 49ers to an upset 26-23 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams. But when the subject came up after the win over the Rams on Thursday night, Jones made it clear he's the backup and Brock Purdy is the starter, despite Jones winning all three of the games he's started in Purdy's absence this season.
"They brought me here to play as a backup and that's my job," said Jones, who was signed as Purdy's backup in the offseason. "Brock's the starter of this team, and right now he's dealing with something, and for him to go out there last week and play when you know he probably wasn't at full health, he cares about this team. So, I'm just trying to get some wins for him so it helps us down the line, and at the end of the day, that's what it's all about.
"I've been in his position, I've been a starter, and you want your backup to go in there and win, because at the end of the season, that could be the hit or miss between a playoff or not."
But even though it's a safe assumption Purdy will be back in the starting lineup once he fully heals from the toe injury that caused him to miss three games so far this season, it's fair to say there's no shortage of excitement about Jones among the 49ers Faithful right now. At the very least, Jones, a former first-round pick who fell out of the starting lineup earlier in his career in New England, proved once again Thursday night that the 49ers have two quarterbacks they can win with as he led the team to a memorable and extremely hard-fought win in Los Angeles.
"Just an apex competitor, man," left tackle Trent Williams said of Jones Thursday night. "He's one of those guys where it's not a surprise why people drafted him where they drafted him, why everybody is so high on him. He has such a high ceiling. Just a really really cool guy to be around as well."
Jones finished with 342 yards and two touchdowns on 33 of 49 passing against the Rams. He now has 905 yards, six touchdowns and one interception in his three starts, and there's no doubt he has the full faith of his teammates and coaches whenever he's on the field.
"Unbelievable," linebacker Fred Warner said. "He's obviously proven that he can win us games in those first two starts that he had with us versus the Saints and versus the Cardinals. And then for him to (have) this game, we're banged up on offense, but yeah, just so huge and I can't say enough about the team as a whole and the resilience and the resolve."
While Jones was impressive in the 49ers' 26-21 Week 2 win over the Saints (279 yards, three touchdowns) and came through with a game-winning drive in the 16-15 Week 3 win over the Cardinals (284 yards, one touchdown, one interception), the win over the Rams was a different animal. Jones was without receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings due to injury and had to fight through bumps and bruises of his own while gutting out a Thursday night road win against a defense that came into the night tied for second in the NFL with 14 sacks.
"It was definitely the biggest challenge, considering I thought they were the best defense in the NFL," Jones said. "And they are. They're really good."
Jones and the 49ers didn't let their wide receiver issues get to them as they came out firing early and jumped out to a 14-0 lead. They mustered only field goals the rest of the way while Jones fought through knee and arm pain, but with Jones' performance as well as two late-game stands by the defense that kept the Rams from a game-winning touchdown, the 49ers were able to overcome what many people thought they couldn't.
"I was real impressed," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He played his ass off, man. He was unbelievable in the first half, got banged up a little bit there in the second half and battled through it, and he protected the ball. Going against that defense and throwing the ball that many times and not having a turnover and protecting like he did, I can't say enough good things about Mac."
The 49ers now have an extended break before their next game, which comes against the Buccaneers in Tampa on October 12. But that break may not be enough for Purdy's injury to get fully healed, which means Jones seems likely to get at least one more start. The good news is Pearsall and Jennings (and maybe even tight end George Kittle) may be back from injury by then, but either way, the 49ers have no reason to doubt their chances with Jones in the lineup.
"I don't have enough good things to say about Mac," said running back Christian McCaffrey, who caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. "He's an absolute warrior. He's a leader. He's somebody that we all can get behind for sure. I think it's a testament to him and his attitude and the way he plays football. It's a testament to Brock and the way that he's been helping him and getting him ready to go. A testament to the coaches, and, going back to the injury thing, when you have guys go down, it's not one guy that has to step up. It's a whole team and a whole unit that has to step up. So that was a fun one to be a part of."
And regardless of what he does from here, Jones has already proven what the 49ers already knew, which is he's more than worthy of being a starter in the NFL.
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Shanahan said. "Yeah, always have."
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