Over four years on from passing on him in the draft, the San Francisco 49ers tasted victory with Mac Jones at quarterback, but there's at least a chance Brock Purdy could return to the role of starting quarterback next week.
Jones, who believed back in 2021 that the 49ers would select him third overall after trading up from the 12th pick, belatedly got his shot to play for San Francisco as he deputised for the injured Purdy in Week 2.
His regular-season debut for the 49ers was a success, with Jones impressing as he threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns in 26-21 road win over the New Orleans Saints, a result that saw San Francisco improve to 2-0.
Jones was promoted to starter after Purdy was ruled out with turf toe, an injury that could reportedly keep him out for as many as five weeks.
But reports ahead of Sunday's game suggested his recovery was progressing well, and head coach Kyle Shanahan gave an encouraging update on Purdy after the narrow win.
Hope for Purdy
Asked about Purdy's hopes of facing the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, Shanahan told his post-game press conference: "I think there's a chance, but we've got to see how the toe goes.
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"It's very up to debate, so we're just taking it a day at a time."
Shanahan's words, while non-committal, indicate that Purdy is making encouraging progress as he seeks to ensure his time on the sideline is as brief as possible.
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At the same time, the 49ers will also have been encouraged enough by Jones' performance to know that they do not need to rush Purdy back.
The 49ers have given themselves some early room for error after a 2-0 start and have a quarterback who can run their offense to a high level while Purdy recovers. For a team that continues to endure rotten injury luck, there is plenty of reason for the 49ers to be excited even with their starting quarterback on the sideline.