What we learned as Mac Jones, 49ers gut out thrilling overtime win to stun Rams

Mac Jones and the 49ers came into SoFi Stadium on Thursday night as underdogs and walked out victors, gritting out a thrilling 26-23 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Rams.Jones, starting in place of injured quarterback Brock Purdy, came out firing on all cylinders and took a quick 14-0 lead on touchdown passes to tight end Jake Tonges and running back Christian McCaffrey in the first half. Jake Tonges strikes again for the lead pic.twitter.com/E5IzQMOYk1 — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 The 49ers dominated the first quarter on both sides of the ball, outpacing the Rams in yards (140 to 7), time of possession (11:50 to 3:10) and first downs (10 to one).The 49ers’ defense allowed Stafford and Co. to score their first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, but Jones quickly answered back with a successful two-minute drill to end the half. The backup signal-caller successfully set up Eddy Pineiro’s 37-yard field goal to give San Francisco a 17-7 lead at the half.Jones fought through discomfort in his injured left knee during the third quarter and led the 49ers into the red zone, where Pineiro kicked a 20-yard field goal for a 20-7 lead. But the Rams responded quickly, with Stafford tossing a 1-yard touchdown pass to Puka Nacua, making it 20-14.The Rams had a chance to take the lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Stafford hit Williams with an 8-yard touchdown pass — but 49ers defensive lineman Jordan Elliott got a hand on the extra-point attempt to force the kick wide left and keep the score tied at 20-20.Under pressure with under six minutes left in the game, Jones delivered a 12-play, 57-yard drive that not only ate 5:12 off the clock, but also put Pineiro just close enough to drill a go-ahead, 59-yard field goal. Stafford led Los Angeles to the red zone on the Rams’ next possession, but 49ers rookie Alfred Collins punched the ball out of Williams’ hands and recovered it at the 1-yard line before he could score. ALFRED COLLINS PUNCHES IT OUT AT THE GOAL LINE pic.twitter.com/HSQqxLFcNl — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 The Rams answered back with a field goal of their own as time expired, sending the game to overtime tied 23-23. And who better to set up San Francisco’s overtime win than Pineiro, who bounced a 41-yard field goal off the goalpost and through the uprights to make it 26-23. The 49ers’ defense came up with a massive fourth-down stop as the Rams attempted to convert rather than kick a field goal on the game’s final play, sealing a hard-fought victory. 49ERS GET THE STOP FOR THE WIN pic.twitter.com/IM0n5Eu33Z — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 Jones finished the game completing 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 100.9 passer rating, gutting out an incredible win to remain undefeated as a starter for the 49ers.Here are Matt Maiocco’s three takeaways from the 49ers’ huge Week 5 victory:Jones, 49ers Get Off To Hot StartIn order for the 49ers to have any chance on Thursday, they had to get off to a hot start. Coach Kyle Shanahan dialed it up, and quarterback Jones delivered for the 49ers in helping build a 17-7 lead at halftime. Mac CMC to make it 14-0 pic.twitter.com/h15F1qtQFw — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 Kyle Shanahan is digging deep in his bag of tricks tonight pic.twitter.com/zFWsSRiT0d — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 Folks, there will not be a quarterback controversy, of course. But even the existence of that last sentence proves that Jones has given the 49ers what they wanted from him when they signed him to a two-year, &dollar;7.3 million contract in the offseason. Mood after a perfect opening drive pic.twitter.com/PKDIuEvUyY — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 The 49ers moved efficiently in the first half, which meant the high-powered Rams offense was on the field for only 12 minutes and five seconds.But after Jones was banged up in the third quarter, appearing to struggle with cramps, the 49ers’ offense struggled to keep up its first-half momentum and scored just nine points over the final two frames and overtime period. Mac Jones was down on the field holding his left knee after a big hit, but he was able to jog off the field (via &commat;NFLonPrime) pic.twitter.com/exaUmZbfIj — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 No Pearsall, No Jennings, No ProblemKendrick Bourne and Demarcus Robinson never have been prolific receivers. But those veterans stepped up when needed with the 49ers’ top three wide receivers unavailable. Mac to KB for a big gain pic.twitter.com/3cW5FOTiMq — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings were ruled out with injuries. And Brandon Aiyuk remains on the physically unable to perform list.Bourne and Jones, who were teammates for three seasons with the New England Patriots, showed that connection on Thursday. Bourne had 64 receiving yards in the first half, though he did have a drop on a third-down play. He finished as the game’s top receiver with a career-high 142 receiving yards on 10 receptions. Mac Jones DIME to Demarcus Robinson pic.twitter.com/tn6liL3PRr — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 And Robinson, who started 17 games for the Rams last season, contributed three catches for 39 yards in the first half, as the 49ers built a 10-point lead heading into the third quarter. Pineiro Comes Up Clutch — AgainFor all of their past struggles at kicker, the 49ers certainly found a gem with the veteran Pineiro.Just two weeks after delivering a game-winning field goal over another divisional rival, the Arizona Cardinals, Pineiro scored 14 of San Francisco’s 26 total points Thursday, forming a perfect tandem with Jones and the 49ers’ offense en route to a much-needed victory. EDDY IS MONEY FROM 59 YARDS pic.twitter.com/y28yrX8FUN — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 Pineiro’s career-long 59-yarder in the fourth quarter would have been another game-sealing kick had Los Angeles not scored a game-tying field goal of their own right after — but he once again got the chance to play hero in overtime with a 41-yard make. Pineiro doinks it in pic.twitter.com/SBOP8MKCY1 — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) October 3, 2025 The kicker has yet to miss with the 49ers, other than his first extra-point attempt with the team, and is 11-for-11 on field-goal attempts. It just goes to show what having a good kicker behind you can do for a team.

What we learned as Mac Jones, 49ers gut out thrilling overtime win to stun Rams

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