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(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Mac Jones delivered his third win since joining the San Francisco 49ers, guiding the team to a 26-23 overtime triumph over the Los Angeles Rams on October 2 at SoFi Stadium.
Jones was sharp throughout the night, completing 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. With Brock Purdy battling injuries since the Week 1 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, Jones has taken over seamlessly, accounting for three of San Francisco’s four wins this season.
The lone setback came in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when Purdy was back in the starting role. Now there’s speculation as to whether the 49ers have a quarterback controversy on their hands.
Nonetheless, Jim Rome doesn’t see the situation like that.
“It’s the opposite of a quarterback controversy,” Rome said on the October 3 edition of “The Jim Rome Show.“ “(…) This is not the way I see it. You know what that is? That’s not a quarterback controversy. What that is, is the opposite. It’s a great quarterback situation.
“What they have is a cheap, quality backup who they believe in, who’s a great fit for the system, who’s already won three games in a row. And he competes his ass off, he’s tough as hell, and his teammates respond to him. They love him, and they are Brock. So how is this a problem? It seems like the opposite of a problem to me.”
Should Mac Jones Push for the 49ers’ Starting QB Job?
After the 49ers‘ win over the Rams, a reporter asked Jones in his postgame press conference whether he sees himself as the team’s starter moving forward.
“They brought me here to play as a backup,“ Jones said (h/t KNBR). “That’s my job. Brock is the starter of this team. Right now he’s dealing with something, and 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.“
Jones emphasized that he still sees Brock Purdy as the starter while he remains the backup, and he also shared more insight into how he plans to approach the 49ers‘ season going forward.
“I’ve been in [Purdy’s] position, I’ve been a starter and 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 a playoff or not,“ Jones added.
49ers QB Mac Jones Earns Praise
Whether or not he aims to be the starter, veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne benefited from Jones’ impressive performance in Los Angeles. After the game, Bourne told reporters he admired how Jones led the Niners to a decisive victory.
“I’ve seen it for a while now, and I’m just proud of him, “ Bourne told reporters (h/t 95.7 The Game). “Even when he’s throwing the ball, [I’ll tell] him at practice, ‘Like, man, you’re zipping the ball, ‘ and how he’s throwing it. You can tell he’s confident and things like that.
“It’s just awesome to see him in this space. How [I saw] him in New England was a different world for him, so to see him now with the peace he has, and he’s playing free and having fun, I think it’s a big part of the game for him. So it’s showing.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He previously covered the league for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has contributed as a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He also served as an editor for Athlon Sports and Heavy Sports focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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