Mac Jones was called upon during a short week for the San Francisco 49ers and delivered an overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.
Are we witnessing a career resurrection for Jones? When Brock Purdy is healthy, will the Niners implement him as a starter? Or, ride with the hot hand of Mac Jones for now? All great questions, and the beauty of that is they will need to be answered very quickly. However, first let’s examine the numbers.
Brock Purdy would play against the Seattle Seahawks during Week 1, but suffered a turf toe injury. Mac Jones started the next two weeks against the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals, getting the win in both games. Purdy then returned last week to play in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 49ers lost the game 26-21, and along the way, Purdy suffered a setback due to the turf toe issue. During a short week with the 49ers playing a divisional opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, both teams were sitting at 3-1 on the year, and Jones would again be called upon to start.
How did Mac Jones do, you ask? He completed 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards and 2 touchdowns, and pulled out an overtime win. It was one of his best games in his career. Jones was also hit 9 times in the game while dealing with a knee injury himself and experiencing cramping along the way. He could be seen practically being carried off the field while dry heaving and visibly in pain. With the heart and grit on display, and after going 3-0 in his starts with the 49ers, the QB controversy has started to creep in, and rightfully so.
On the year Purdy has already thrown 4 interceptions, and Jones has only thrown one. Jones is also completing passes at a higher rate than Purdy. Mac Jones has managed to go undefeated in his starts despite not having weapons such as George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Ricky Pearsall. With the way the 49ers have rallied around Jones and how he has this team sitting at 4-1 on the year, if there has to be a QB competition in the coming weeks, a winner has already been declared as long as he’s healthy.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: The unexpected QB catalyst for the 49ers: What now for Brock Purdy?
