In Brock Purdy’s absence, Mac Jones has taken on a role few believed he could handle at this stage of his career. Despite the team’s struggles, Jones has played well and sparked a real debate over who should remain the starter once both quarterbacks are healthy.
Even after the loss to the Rams, Jones delivered another strong performance to strengthen his case for the starting job. Here’s where he stands in the quarterback power rankings after Week 10.
Mac Jones Moves Up in PFSN’s QB Power Rankings and Heats Competition With Brock Purdy
When the 49ers signed Jones to back up Purdy for the 2025 season, the message was clear: the team needed a reliable contingency plan in case their starting quarterback went down. They had that in Sam Darnold back in 2023 but failed to replicate it after his departure, with Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen delivering underwhelming performances.
Jones’ showing against the Rams proved he’s growing more comfortable in Kyle Shanahan’s system each week. He completed 84.9% of his passes for 319 yards, three touchdowns, and one late interception.
The performance bumped him up one spot in PFSN’s QB Power Rankings to No. 13. Jones was efficient attacking the intermediate areas of the field, particularly when targeting George Kittle and Jauan Jennings, echoing Purdy’s best days running Shanahan’s offense.
The key storyline in this supposed quarterback debate is that Jones hasn’t made the offense miss Purdy all that much. San Francisco’s bigger issues lie on defense, where the unit has struggled to generate pressure, ranks among the league’s worst in sacks, and rarely forces turnovers.
Meanwhile, Purdy hasn’t lost his job; he’s simply injured. His last game against the Jacksonville Jaguars left a sour taste, but it doesn’t erase everything he’s accomplished in this system, executing it better than any quarterback since Matt Ryan’s 2016 MVP season with the Atlanta Falcons.
Who Will Be The Starter?
Shanahan has reiterated multiple times that this is Purdy’s team once he’s healthy and capable of being the same player he was before the injury. The real question is whether he’ll return to that level before the season ends.
This isn’t about who’s better, but whether it makes sense for Shanahan to risk disrupting the offense’s rhythm by changing quarterbacks when San Francisco needs wins to secure a playoff spot.
As well as Jones has played, Purdy has earned the right to be the 49ers’ starter, and his $53 million-per-year extension signed this offseason reinforces that. Once Purdy is cleared for full practice participation, he’ll likely reclaim the starting job, though Jones will remain a real presence behind him throughout 2025.
