When San Francisco defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26-23 in overtime on Oct. 2, 49ers quarterback Mac Jones completed 33-of-49 passes for 342 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a passing-efficiency rating of 100.9.
In the NFC West rivals’ rematch on Sunday, Jones had a similar set of stats as San Francisco duplicated its points output. The former Alabama All-American completed 33-of-39 passes for 319 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a passing-efficiency rating of 115.7.
But this time, the Rams defeated San Francisco 42-26.
Los Angeles QB Matthew Stafford completed 24-of-36 passes for 280 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions as he became the ninth player in NFL history with 900 TD passes.
“They’re a really good team,” Jones said, “and they just had our number today. But it wasn’t our day and doesn’t mean it can’t be our day soon.”
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Each team punted twice in the game, but after the Rams’ first three possessions, Los Angeles had a 21-0 lead. The Rams ran off touchdown series on their first three possessions of the second half, too.
Three poor endings to possessions prevented the 49ers from keeping pace with Los Angeles.
“I still believe if we convert that fourth-and-1 in the first half and we don’t turn it over on the other drive,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, “it’s a two-score game, and I believe we’re right in that. I believe it could have came down to the end if we played a little bit better on offense in the first half. Obviously, we got to get the defense to get a stop there in the second half. But I still think we could have made that a game.
“I told them I believe that we can find a way to win any game that we’re in. But if we hurt ourselves like that -- seven penalties to zero, not getting off on third down, I think they were 5-for-5 in the red zone and then the offense having two turnovers and they’re having zero -- you make that pretty tough on yourself.”
On San Francisco’s second series, wide receiver Jauan Jennings lost a fumble after reaching the Rams 26-yard line on a throw from Jones.
On the 49ers’ next possession, the Los Angeles defense stopped running back Christian McCaffrey for no gain on a fourth-and-1 carry at the Rams 11.
In the fourth quarter, cornerback Emmanuel Forbes intercepted Jones’ pass to McCaffrey at the San Francisco 43 on fourth-and-4, and Stafford used the short field to put the Rams up 42-20.
“We played them the first time, we’re up 14-0,” Jones said. “So that wasn’t the case this time. And definitely just want to keep throwing completions and let the guys do the work. And once I get rid of the ball, that’s when we can get yards, so I know that and that’s important.”
Jones threw touchdown passes of 6 yards to Jennings for the 49ers’ first points with 3:15 left in the first half, 9 yards to tight end Luke Farrell as San Francisco cut the lead to 28-20 with 12:29 left to play and 13 yards to tight end George Kittle with 2:59 remaining.
“It seemed like he played really well,” Shanahan said of Jones. “I thought he got rid of the ball, didn’t get caught with it too much, got the ball to the right spots and definitely gave us a chance to win.”
The loss kept the 49ers from catching the Rams in the NFC West standings. Los Angeles and the Seattle Seahawks will square off on Sunday for the division lead with 7-2 records. San Francisco dropped to 6-4.
Jones started his sixth straight game and eighth of the season in relief of Brock Purdy. A toe injury has limited Purdy to playing in the first and fourth games of the season.
Shanahan said Purdy could have served as Jones’ backup on Sunday, but “I just decided to hold him, not put him in that situation.”
Does that mean Jones’ string of starts will end when the 49ers play the Arizona Cardinals at 3:05 p.m. CST Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona?
“It depends on how close to 100 percent he gets,” Shanahan said of Purdy’s return. “Our dilemma or what we’re trying not to do is put him out in the situation we did versus Jacksonville five weeks ago, or six, whatever it was. So I do believe he’s closer and further along than what he was at that time, so, hopefully, he’ll have a chance this week.”
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