Ahead of Week 5’s Thursday Night Football matchup against the division rival Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers found out they would have to play without star quarterback Brock Purdy yet again. The storied franchise was forced to pivot to veteran backup Mac Jones, who had already played in two games due to Purdy’s absence, resulting in two wins for San Francisco.

Although Jones has played well when called upon by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, the Rams have proven to be a force to be reckoned with during the 2025 campaign, leading many to believe he’d be facing his toughest challenge yet, filling in for Purdy, with both NFC West division heavyweights sporting records of 3-1.

As for the Rams, Matthew Stafford‘s squad was coming off a bounce-back win over Daniel Jones‘ Indianapolis Colts, and was ready to make a statement in this divisional showdown on their home field of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

This game was a highly anticipated battle between two of the best quarterbacks in the NFC, competing for bragging rights and position within their division, which had undergone drastic changes with Jones being named the starter. However, this matchup still lived up to the hype, with Jones going toe-to-toe with Stafford from start to finish.

Battle-tested veteran vs. career backup

With Jones taking over for an injured Purdy, Stafford and the Rams clearly had the edge coming into this NFC West showdown. Los Angeles had home-field advantage, the better quarterback, and arguably the better leader on the sideline with Sean McVay.

Also, Stafford had the edge downfield, with star wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, which would intimidate an opposing secondary.

Despite the scales tilting in the Rams’ favor, with only superstar Christian McCaffrey giving the 49ers the edge in the ground game, the outcome of this matchup seemed like a foregone conclusion. Jones was expected to be running for his life while possibly being on the ground more than he’d be completing passes.

In a wild twist, the 49ers came out firing on all cylinders, with Jones looking like the savvy veteran and Stafford struggling to get points on the board.

Jones’ rhythm vs. Stafford’s struggles

All it took was eight plays for Jones to lead San Francisco down the field to score the first touchdown of the game, as he connected with tight end Jake Tonges on a six-yard pass to put six points on the scoreboard for the 49ers.

It was a solid mix of run and pass for the 49ers during the opening 72-yard drive, with McCaffrey making an impact early and often both on the ground and as a receiver. Jones also connected with another former New England Patriot, hitting wideout Kevin Bourne on a 35-yard strike. The Jones-Bourne connection would be a common theme throughout the night, as he caught 10 passes for 142 yards.

Then it was Stafford’s turn to fire back, which fell very short and looked quite uncharacteristic for this Rams’ high-powered offense. Los Angeles racked up only seven yards in six plays, possessing the ball for three and 10 seconds.

It wasn’t until the second quarter that the Rams began to realize this shorthanded 49ers squad, led by a career backup quarterback, was coming to play. San Francisco ate up the clock during a 17-play drive that took eight minutes and 15 seconds to complete. Jones drove his quad down the field, resulting in a one-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey and a 14-0 lead.

As if the Rams’ defense getting shredded and pushed to exhaustion to start the second quarter wasn’t taxing enough, Stafford fumbled during the next possession, resulting in safety Tashaun Gipson scooping up the football to start another possession for the 49ers.

Although it was a disastrous start for the Rams, that fumble seemed to wake the team up, as the defense forced a punt on the next possession. Los Angeles then scored its first touchdown of the night, going 85 yards down the field, with running back Kyren Williams trotting into the end zone on a 14-yard pass from Stafford.

Second-half Stafford

After the 49ers stretched their lead to 17-0 to end the first half with a field goal from kicker Eddy Pineiro, things got competitive in the second half, with Stafford starting to resemble the Super Bowl-winning quarterback that everyone knows and loves in Los Angeles.

The Rams were able to limit the 49ers to a field goal in the third quarter, while Stafford capped it off with a one-yard touchdown pass to Nacua, who had another incredible performance, catching 10 passes for 85 yards and the touchdown in the third. Adams ended up with slightly more receiving yards (88), but it was Nacua who made the plays and moved the chains, helping his star quarterback get the passing game into high gear.

The 49ers headed into the fourth quarter with a 20-14 lead in a game that could go in any direction, but it was definitely going to come down to the quarterback play and decisions made by Shanahan and McVay, who are two of the best in the business.

Jones plays through pain, beats Stafford in epic overtime finish

Ultimately, the Rams were able to tie things up in the fourth quarter with three field goals from kicker Joshua Karty, which forced overtime in this divisional thriller. Jones, however, went down during the third quarter after a hit from linebacker Byron Young in the red zone. The way Jones was down on the ground holding his left knee in clear pain, it looked like his night was over.

However, Jones was able to get up and show some remarkable toughness to keep playing.

Although the 49ers were proving to be a formidable opponent on both sides of the football, it seemed like the momentum was working in the Rams’ favor, especially with Stafford being among the best clutch quarterbacks in the NFL today.

Stafford has pulled off 39 come-from-behind wins during his NFL career in the regular season and playoffs combined. Obviously, that makes him incredibly dangerous in this situation. Unfortunately for Stafford, it was his running back who dropped the ball late in this game, literally.

After a 63-yard drive, with the Rams seemingly on the cusp of scoring a touchdown, Williams fumbled, which was recovered by defensive tackle Alfred Collins. The Rams settled for a field goal, and then the overtime period got underway.

The 49ers struck first with a field goal in overtime, but Stafford would then have the football for presumably the last possession of the game, which favors Los Angeles. The veteran quarterback connected on four of his five passing attempts during this final drive, which led to a fourth-and-one situation on the 49ers’ 11-yard.

Instead of kicking a field goal to tie the game, McVay chose to gamble and give the ball to Williams, which turned out to be a disaster as Los Angeles was stopped cold and forced to watch the clock tick down to zero, and their record fell to 3-2.

In the end, Jones prevailed against all odds, as the 49ers’ defense successfully prevented late-game heroics from Stafford in what turned out to be an incredible night of football in Los Angeles.