Brock Purdy’s return from a toe injury remains uncertain, but Mac Jones continues to carry the San Francisco 49ers in his absence. Making his third start of the season, Jones led the 49ers to a 26-23 overtime win against NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, throwing for 342 yards and two touchdowns despite a depleted receiving corps. San Francisco is now 3-0 with Jones as the starter this season.
“He played his ass off, man,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He was unbelievable in the first half. Got banged up a little bit there in the second half and battled through it. He protected the ball going against that defense and throwing the ball that many time and not having a turnover and protecting it like he did, I can’t say enough good things about Mac.”
Purdy, who aggravated the toe during a Week 4 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, is “week to week,” Shanahan confirmed. With no clear timetable for his return, Jones could continue starting at least into Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We don’t know how it’s going to heal,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully he’ll be better tomorrow and it’ll continue to go throughout the week.”
In three games, Jones has completed 66.7% of his passes for 905 yards and six touchdowns with one interception — which is a significant improvement over his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season and his three years with the New England Patriots as a former first-round NFL Draft pick.
Despite his performance, Jones said he is not looking to change his role.
“They brought me here to play as a backup, and that’s my job,” Jones said. “Brock’s the starter of this team, and right now he’s dealing with something. 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. I’m just trying to get some wins for him so it helps us down the line.”
San Francisco improved to 4-1 with the win and will face Tampa Bay in Week 6, with Jones expected to start if Purdy remains sidelined.
“I’ve been in his position,” Jones said. “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 the playoffs or not.”
The 49ers are navigating a season filled with injuries. Wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings were inactive Thursday. Brandon Aiyuk is still recovering from a torn ACL, George Kittle is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and defensive end Nick Bosa is out for the season.