The San Francisco 49ers escaped the Los Angeles Rams’ comeback as they ground out a 26-23 OT win, sitting on a 4-1 record. You could make the case that this was one of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s finest coaching jobs. No starting quarterback. Multiple receivers on the shelf. A front seven patched together with duct tape. Yet somehow they battled it out. Here’s everything Shanahan had to say after the game.

In typical fashion, he started the presser by reading out the injury updates. And it’s not looking too good. “Kalia Davis never returned. Broken hand. We’ll see tomorrow what we got to do with it. Yetur pulled his hamstring, never returned. Dee Winters had a shoulder, he returned. Upton Stout left there with an ankle,” he said.

As satisfying as the win was, it came with a familiar sting; injuries continue to haunt San Francisco. The front seven is already decimated before mid-season: defensive tackle Kevin Givens missed Week 1 entirely, defensive lineman Nick Bosa is out for the year, defensive end Robert Beal Jr. never suited up Thursday, and defensive tackle Kalia Davis went down in the first half. Now the 49ers can only wait until tomorrow to learn just how severe the damage truly is.

After finishing with the injury updates, Shanahan couldn’t help but praise the character his team put forward tonight. “I can’t say enough about the guys. They were unbelievable. We talked about how long this game was gonna be, how focused we had to be, how competitive we had to be. It was a huge character win,” he said. It really was a testament to their mentality. They almost gave it away, sure. But they edged out a victory when they had all the momentum completely against them.

And of course, that backup quarterback Mac Jones’ display didn’t go unnoticed. “Real proud. He played his a– off, man. He was unbelievable in the first half, got banged up a little in the second half, and battled through. I can’t say enough good things about Mac.”

Yeah, he’s really made a case for himself ever since Brock Purdy got sidelined with the toe injury. With two touchdowns and zero picks, he had 342 yards tonight. He was that good. He’s now 3-0 as a starter with the 49ers, and you cannot help but wonder: What happens when Brock Purdy comes back?

Jones’ performance takes on another meaning considering what he went through tonight. He got banged up in the third quarter, popped back in for OT, and finished the game with forearm cramps as he took on even more hits. “He was alright. Hurt his knee a little, but ended up bouncing back. Then his forearm was cramping in the second half, but he worked through it,” Shanahan said. Nothing to worry about for now, it seems.

Kendrick Bourne’s season has been uneven, to say the least. In the Jaguars game, he had four targets but dropped three of them, hardly a stat line to boast about. Still, when he did secure the ball today, his impact was clear. His first catch went for 35 yards into the red zone, showing polish, and he later added another 16-yard gain. He let a third slip through his hands, but Kyle Shanahan didn’t seem overly concerned.

“KB has been awesome for us, man. He had a couple of big drops last week, had one today on 3rd down, but every time he did something, he completely made it up,” he said. In 11 targets, he finished the game with 10 catches. That’s insane considering where he was a couple of weeks ago.

Then came the inevitable question about Brock Purdy’s toe injury. And Kyle Shanahan all but confirmed that all those rumours were true. “Everything we told you guys last week is true. He reaggravated it, and it’s week-to-week. We don’t know how it’s going to heal. Hopefully, he’ll be better tomorrow,” he said. But after this Mac Jones performance, the 49ers fans probably aren’t too worried about it.

When asked about the improvements in the pass rush, Shanahan seemed quite happy with what he saw tonight. “I saw the plays that they made. The defense coming up with two turnovers, us having none. That’s the main reason why we won,” he said. Against the Jaguars, the 49ers gave the ball away four times, which the Jaguars capitalized on. Tonight was a big step up.

“He’s one of the toughest, grittiest guys I’ve ever been around. He’s been unbelievable. He doesn’t shy away from anything,” Shanahan said about McCaffrey. He basically was the 49ers’ run game tonight, grinding out 57 yards on a game-high 22 carries, then turning around and doubling as a safety valve with eight catches for 82 more. When everything else felt patched together, he showed up and carried the load.

And if there’s someone else who doesn’t shy away from anything, it’s Mac Jones.

Mac Jones’ reaction post-game

After putting up that masterclass of a performance, he delivered the coldest quote of the night. When asked why he wears suits to games, he said, “I wear suits because I’m going to work” in a black and red suit. Well, he put in quite a shift tonight.

And if you’re wondering what inspired him to wreak havoc tonight, it was Kyle Shanahan coming up to him before the game. “Kyle came up to me and was pissed about that, saying, ‘ I can’t believe they moved us as underdogs more.’ I said, ‘I don’t know what that means, but let’s kill them,” he said. Yes, whether it’s power rankings or mere predictions, the 49ers aren’t really getting the respect they deserve. They’re a 4-1 team, and not many teams can say that this season. But it’s only firing them up.

And as much as the world thinks that the QB battle is on, Jones still believes he’s only the backup QB. “They brought me here to play as a backup. That’s my job. Brock is the starter of this team. Right now dealing with something. To go out last week, not at full health, he cares about this team. I’m trying to get wins for him,” he said. Proving he still believes Purdy is the starter, and he is just the backup. Trying to put the team in a position that when Purdy makes a return, they can go to the playoffs.

The humility is nice, sure, but let’s call it what it is: Mac Jones is doing exactly what you’d want out of a starting quarterback. And the results speak louder than his modesty. In three starts, the Niners are undefeated at 3-0. With Brock Purdy? Just 1-1. They’re averaging 22.6 points per game with him, compared to 19 with Purdy. When Purdy’s ready to return, he might not find the keys to this offense sitting neatly on the counter.

Finally, he opened up about the injury scare tonight. “First time trainers came out in my career. I don’t like to stay down, but I was dealing with something. Once I flipped over, I realized what it was, felt better,” he said. Every 49ers fan felt a pit in their stomach when he went out in the third quarter. Thankfully, he battled through it. And if Shanahan’s words tell us anything, he’s ready for Week 6.