Out to erase past narratives, 49ers QB Mac Jones proves himself to be clutch in last-second win over Cardinals

"It was my alert on the play and we don't really throw it that often," Jones told reporters after the game. "So, it was just a great catch. I don't know how he caught that, but it was a great play and he did a great job in the game."

Shanahan suggested to reporters that Jones could have had success with either option, but he was obviously happy with the one that was chosen.

"I thought it was awesome. Mac had an option to hit KB on the out route or to throw Ricky on the go," Shanahan said. "He had a good look for both of them and he chose the right one. It was a big-time play."

Jones and the 49ers still had a long way to go before finishing off the Cardinals, however. The Cardinals tied the game quickly with a touchdown of their own, then Jones threw an interception on the following drive that gave the Cardinals the ball back at their own 40-yard line.

"I thought his pick was just a bad play," Shanahan said. "Love for Ricky to be able to break that up, but I thought it was a bad call."

Fortunately for Jones and the 49ers, the defense forced a punt on the ensuing possession and the interception proved not to be a turning point that cost them the game. But there was more adversity on the horizon, as just after the punt, guard Dominick Puni was flagged for a holding penalty in the end zone during a Jones drop back, giving the Cardinals a safety and a 16-15 lead with just over three minutes left in the game.

Things looked bleak for the 49ers at that point, but the defense stepped up again, forcing one last punt. The offense took over at the 20 with one time out and 1:46 remaining, and Jones was ready to take the opportunity to steal a win and change his late-game reputation in the process.

"He was on the sideline, and he was throwing the ball to some of the equipment guys, warming up his arm again to go back out there on the game-winning drive," Pearsall said. "And he just looked at me, I looked at him, and he was like, 'Let's do this.' And I was like, 'Yeah, let's go.' So, you know, I already knew what time it was for Mac. He was really locked in."

Jones completed passes to tight end Jake Tonges, wide receiver Skyy Moore, and Bourne early in the drive that got the ball across midfield and into field goal range. Then Jones connected on a short pass to running back Christian McCaffrey that moved the ball to the 16-yard line with 25 seconds remaining. After a spike to stop the clock and a kneel to get the clock to four seconds, the 49ers took their time out, and Pineiro connected as the clock expired to give the 49ers the win.

"I've failed a lot in that situation to be honest in the NFL," Jones said, "and I just know the guys have my back. And like we talked about on the side, 'Let's go out there and rip it, just one play at a time, and erase everything that happened.' Like the two plays before or whatever were my fault, but just give your team a chance to win, and offensive line blocked really well. KB had a couple good catches. Everybody was lined up. The execution was great. So, that's all you can ask for, and Eddy made a great kick at the end."

On top of all that, Jones was dealing with a knee problem that had him hobbling around from time to time. But like everything else, he was able to fight through it.

"I had a little injury that I just re-aggravated and I'm good," Jones said. "...I felt like it affected my play a little bit, which I was disappointed about. Like, I could have just been tougher and it was affecting my reads and everything. So, anyways, I finished the game out and just going to do treatment and I should be good."

The win moved Jones to 2-0 as a starter for the 49ers, which may come as a surprise to fans who weren't sure what to expect when he took over for Purdy. But he's had the confidence of his teammates, who knew coming in that Jones had the potential to keep everything running in Purdy's absence.

"He's not a spring chicken, you know what I'm saying?" left tackle Trent Williams said Sunday. "He's played some ball and he'd been in some really intense games, intense atmospheres, and you can tell. I think he's been wonderful last couple weeks in the huddle. Even when the stakes are high, he's still the same person."

Chances are Purdy may return for the 49ers for their home game next Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but either way, Jones has already left his mark, as he's been instrumental in putting the 49ers in a great position after three games.

"The way he came back on the end on that last drive, he was unbelievable, even scrambling around when his knee was bothering him," Shanahan said. "He was real good today."

And for Jones, regardless of what happens for him in a 49ers uniform from this point out, he's been able to remind the league he can perform at a high level when called upon, while maybe giving himself a foundation he can draw on when he faces late-game pressure in future.

"I've had a lot of potential game-winning drives or whatever, and a lot of quarterbacks have, but I also have done well in them and I've done pretty bad in them too," Jones said. "So, I really was just motivated to change the narrative."