No one should question Mac Jones' toughness after Thursday night's showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Despite taking repeated hits, the quarterback battled through pain and cramps to help lead the 49ers to a dramatic 26-23 overtime victory.
In the third quarter, Jones was visibly shaken up, limping after a play. Later, near the goal line, he absorbed a punishing hit that could have drawn a roughing-the-passer penalty, leaving him clearly in pain.
The broadcast later showed trainers working on Jones' throwing arm, trying to ease a cramp. By then, head coach Kyle Shanahan thought his quarterback's night was over, and he was preparing to send in backup Adrian Martinez.
"It was crazy when he was starting to cramp at the end of the game, his arm, just out of nowhere, cramping, and having to eat those bananas and everything to get back in there," Shanahan said Friday during a conference call. "I was told that he was cramping too hard, and Adrian was going in. So we were calling the play for Adrian, and then I looked up and Mac was in the huddle.
"So he just sprinted out there and kept it going. And I was like, 'All right, we'll see how long this lasts.' And he lasted the whole game, and obviously was a big part of why we won."
According to Shanahan, the medical staff considered sending Jones to the locker room for an IV, but with little time left in the game, they improvised by feeding him bananas to restore his electrolytes.
"I guess that was the next best plan, to add some pickle juice also," Shanahan explained.
The gutsy performance capped off another impressive outing for the 49ers' backup quarterback, who has now started—and won—three straight games.
"Just watching him hang in there, watching him battle, just how he's been through these last two weeks, trying to come back from his knee injury, and having to work through that, he's been unbelievably tough," Shanahan added.