Mac Jones leads injury-hit 49ers past Rams in OT in Los Angeles

Hours earlier kickoff successful Los Angeles, Kyle Shanahan told Mac Jones the San Francisco 49ers had been acceptable arsenic dense underdogs. “I don’t truly wage attraction to it,” Jones said with a laugh. “Kyle came up to me, and helium was pissed astir it… I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m pissed, too.’” The borderline showed. With stars missing, the backup backmost turned successful 1 of his champion nights and helped seal a 26–23 overtime win.

This was the team’s archetypal outright triumph arsenic specified ample underdogs since 2011 against Philadelphia (+9.5) and the biggest upset of the 2025 play truthful far, surpassing Cleveland’s Week 3 daze implicit Green Bay.

Patchwork offense, cleanable execution

San Francisco improved to 4–1 (3–0 successful the NFC West) without Brock Purdy and a big of regulars, specified arsenic Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, George Kittle, and season-ending casualty Nick Bosa. Jones, throwing to a radical that had zero 2024 catches entering the night, went 33-of-49 for 342 yards, 2 touchdowns and nary interceptions (100.9 rating). He battled a sprained near genu and a cramping forearm, yet stayed crisp — lone 2 off-target throws connected 49 attempts, and 6-of-9 nether unit for 53 yards.

He opened with touchdown passes to Jake Tonges and Christian McCaffrey for a 14–0 lead. Kendrick Bourne, signed earlier Week 2, overcame alignment issues and a cardinal driblet to station vocation highs: 10 receptions for 142 yards, including 8 archetypal downs. “KB has brought truthful overmuch energy,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “He’s decidedly helped spark this team.”

“Kyle played his ass off,” Shanahan said of Jones. “Going against that defence and throwing that galore times with nary turnover… I can’t accidental capable bully things astir Mac.”

Rookies decorativeness the job, QB outlook

Second-rounder Alfred Collins forced and recovered a goal-line fumble precocious successful the 4th quarter, and rookie information Marques Sigle teamed connected the last fourth-and-1 halt of Kyren Williams astatine the 11. As linebacker Fred Warner enactment it, “[GM] John Lynch is astir apt going to celebrate… Our young guys are playing large for us.”

Purdy remains week-to-week with a toed injury. “He conscionable reaggravated it,” Shanahan said. “We don’t cognize however it’s going to heal.”