Out to erase past narratives, 49ers QB Mac Jones proves himself to be clutch in last-second win over Cardinals

Mac Jones was able to slay more than just the Arizona Cardinals with his late-game heroics for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Jones was also able to, at least in part, soothe some of the bad memories he has of what he would call failures in late game situations throughout his NFL career, perhaps setting a new narrative for himself in the process.

Before filling in over the past two weeks for injured starter Brock Purdy, Jones had 49 starts at quarterback over four NFL seasons with the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. Jones did see moments of success in the clutch during those four seasons, but he also had his share of times where he fell short. With the 49ers and Cardinals tied 6-6 late in the fourth quarter of their game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday, Jones overcame multiple doses of adversity to deliver two clutch moments for the 49ers in their 16-15 win -- a gutsy 34-yard completion to wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on a 4th-and-2 to set up the first touchdown of the game, and a 10-play, 63-yard drive with less than two minutes to play that led to a 35-yard game-winning field goal by kicker Eddy Pineiro as time expired.

For Jones, Sunday was the product of a renewed focus on getting the job done in the most crucial moments, which is a task he took upon himself in the days leading up to the 2025 season.

"I failed a ton in the NFL in those situations to be honest, and it's (been) frustrating for many years," Jones told NBC Sports Bay Area after the win. "I've been working on it hard to finish strong and when you make a mistake, just bounce back."

Jones, who finished 27 of 41 for 284 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Cardinals, did make a potentially game-changing mistake that he had to recover from on Sunday. But first, he delivered one of the biggest plays of the 49ers' young season with his 34-yard strike to Pearsall.

The play took place early in the fourth quarter when 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan decided to roll the dice and go for a first down on a 4th-and-2 play from the Arizona 40-yard line. Shanahan called a passing play where Jones had the option of going deep to Pearsall or trying to connect with wide receiver Kendrick Bourne for a shorter gain. Jones chose to pass to Pearsall, who made a dazzling catch to give the 49ers a first down at the 6-yard line.

"It was my alert on the play and we don't really throw it that often," Jones told reporters after the game. "So, it was just a great catch. I don't know how he caught that, but it was a great play and he did a great job in the game."

Shanahan suggested to reporters that Jones could have had success with either option, but he was obviously happy with the one that was chosen.

"I thought it was awesome. Mac had an option to hit KB on the out route or to throw Ricky on the go," Shanahan said. "He had a good look for both of them and he chose the right one. It was a big-time play."

Jones and the 49ers still had a long way to go before finishing off the Cardinals, however. The Cardinals tied the game quickly with a touchdown of their own, then Jones threw an interception on the following drive that gave the Cardinals the ball back at their own 40-yard line.

"I thought his pick was just a bad play," Shanahan said. "Love for Ricky to be able to break that up, but I thought it was a bad call."

Fortunately for Jones and the 49ers, the defense forced a punt on the ensuing possession and the interception proved not to be a turning point that cost them the game. But there was more adversity on the horizon, as just after the punt, guard Dominick Puni was flagged for a holding penalty in the end zone during a Jones drop back, giving the Cardinals a safety and a 16-15 lead with just over three minutes left in the game.

Things looked bleak for the 49ers at that point, but the defense stepped up again, forcing one last punt. The offense took over at the 20 with one time out and 1:46 remaining, and Jones was ready to take the opportunity to steal a win and change his late-game reputation in the process.

"He was on the sideline, and he was throwing the ball to some of the equipment guys, warming up his arm again to go back out there on the game-winning drive," Pearsall said. "And he just looked at me, I looked at him, and he was like, 'Let's do this.' And I was like, 'Yeah, let's go.' So, you know, I already knew what time it was for Mac. He was really locked in."

Jones completed passes to tight end Jake Tonges, wide receiver Skyy Moore, and Bourne early in the drive that got the ball across midfield and into field goal range. Then Jones connected on a short pass to running back Christian McCaffrey that moved the ball to the 16-yard line with 25 seconds remaining. After a spike to stop the clock and a kneel to get the clock to four seconds, the 49ers took their time out, and Pineiro connected as the clock expired to give the 49ers the win.

"I've failed a lot in that situation to be honest in the NFL," Jones said, "and I just know the guys have my back. And like we talked about on the side, 'Let's go out there and rip it, just one play at a time, and erase everything that happened.' Like the two plays before or whatever were my fault, but just give your team a chance to win, and offensive line blocked really well. KB had a couple good catches. Everybody was lined up. The execution was great. So, that's all you can ask for, and Eddy made a great kick at the end."

On top of all that, Jones was dealing with a knee problem that had him hobbling around from time to time. But like everything else, he was able to fight through it.

"I had a little injury that I just re-aggravated and I'm good," Jones said. "...I felt like it affected my play a little bit, which I was disappointed about. Like, I could have just been tougher and it was affecting my reads and everything. So, anyways, I finished the game out and just going to do treatment and I should be good."

The win moved Jones to 2-0 as a starter for the 49ers, which may come as a surprise to fans who weren't sure what to expect when he took over for Purdy. But he's had the confidence of his teammates, who knew coming in that Jones had the potential to keep everything running in Purdy's absence.

"He's not a spring chicken, you know what I'm saying?" left tackle Trent Williams said Sunday. "He's played some ball and he'd been in some really intense games, intense atmospheres, and you can tell. I think he's been wonderful last couple weeks in the huddle. Even when the stakes are high, he's still the same person."

Chances are Purdy may return for the 49ers for their home game next Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but either way, Jones has already left his mark, as he's been instrumental in putting the 49ers in a great position after three games.

"The way he came back on the end on that last drive, he was unbelievable, even scrambling around when his knee was bothering him," Shanahan said. "He was real good today."

And for Jones, regardless of what happens for him in a 49ers uniform from this point out, he's been able to remind the league he can perform at a high level when called upon, while maybe giving himself a foundation he can draw on when he faces late-game pressure in future.

"I've had a lot of potential game-winning drives or whatever, and a lot of quarterbacks have, but I also have done well in them and I've done pretty bad in them too," Jones said. "So, I really was just motivated to change the narrative."