Can a Former 2021 First-Round Pick Continue His Hot Start in Week Three vs. Arizona?
Heading into San Francisco’s Week Two matchup against the New Orleans Saints, it was expected that backup quarterback Mac Jones would run the offense and do what head coach Kyle Shanahan asked of him and not much else. After starting quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a couple of injuries during the tough Week One thriller in Seattle, he was ruled out for Week Two in New Orleans. Jones’ chance to step up and keep this team afloat was now open, and against the Saints, he delivered, throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 26-21 win. Jones looked impressive during training camp, but still surprised many people with this performance as he’s already looking like a valuable 2025 offseason addition and security for a team with an injury-riddled history.
Although Purdy has returned to practice this week, he has been limited, and it’s expected he will miss their Week Three divisional matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at least with his turf toe. This stretch of missed games for Purdy marks the fourth time in four years he has sustained some sort of injury. Luckily for the 49ers, his form of turf toe isn’t as severe as Joe Burrow’s toe injury, which will sideline him and the Bengals’ chances to make a serious run for a minimum of three months. Meanwhile, Jones seems like he can carry the weight of key losses to the offense, most notably Purdy and tight end George Kittle. His connection with running back Christian McCaffrey out of the backfield is continuing to grow, while his connection with wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings grew as Week Two went along.
Even with a poor offensive line, Jones has shown in just one week that he’s starting to thrive in this 49ers offense. Let’s not forget, San Francisco had the third-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, where they selected current Chargers backup quarterback Trey Lance over Jones, who would later be drafted by the New England Patriots. Heading into that draft, reports were echoing Jones as a perfect plug-in fit for Shanahan’s offense to replace Jimmy Garoppolo down the line. Setting up for Week Three, the Cardinals should present a much bigger challenge to Jones. However, Shanahan will look to continue to maximize Jones’ talent as the 49ers attempt to take early control of the NFC West. These next few weeks will be a crucial turning point for San Francisco in their path toward contention, and the team expects Jones to step up even more with elevated confidence after a commanding first win.
