By Armando Salguero

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After Mac Jones led the San Francisco 49ers to a lead late in regulation Thursday night, got himself a celebratory banana for his efforts, and then marched his team for the eventual game-winning field goal in overtime, we pretty much all realized what came next. 49ers May Have A Quarterback Question “There’s going to be a whole quarterback thing going on in San Francisco, you know that,” Prime play-by-play man Al Michaels announced as the victorious 49ers walked off the field. Oh, we know. That’s exactly what the 49ers are about to have … a quarterback thing. That thing is going to revolve around who should be the team’s starting quarterback. Because Jones has not just performed well as Brock Purdy’s backup, he’s actually performed better than Purdy. The 49ers are leading the NFC West with a 4-1 record now. The team is 3-0 with Jones as the starter. Mac Jones Has Played Great And I know what you’re probably wondering: Mac Jones, traded by New England after major struggles and largely unremarkable as a backup last year in Jacksonville, is suddenly good? Well, he obviously has been good while Purdy’s been in and out of the lineup with both a shoulder and turf toe injury. And Jones certainly was good against the Rams. Playing for the injured Purdy again, Jones completed 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards with 2 touchdowns and a 100.9 passer rating. He did not turn the ball. “I was real impressed,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He played his ass off, man. Was unbelievable in the first half, got banged up a little bit there and battled through it. Protected the ball. Going against that defense and throwing the ball that many times and not having a turnover and protecting like he did, I can’t say enough good things about Mac.” Mac Jones Lifts Fellow Backups Jones had this eye-opening performance while playing with San Francisco’s travel squad offense. The Niners didn’t have tight end George Kittle, didn’t have receiver Ricky Pearsall, or receiver Jauan Jennings. And that’s not even mentioning the fact Brandon Aiyuk hasn’t played yet this season. That kind of work on the road, against a playoff team like the Rams were last season, earns credibility and respect in the locker room. “Tough as nails, just an apex competitor,” offensive tackle and team leader Trent Williams said of Jones. Said receiver Kendrick Bourne: “He’s built the right way.” Maybe Jones Is Next Mayfield Or Darnold Bourne was a teammate of Jones in New England before the quarterback encountered tough times, and terrible coaching, that led to his ouster. “How I seen him in New England was a different world for him to what he has now and the peace he has,” Bourne added. “He’s playing free and having fun now.” Jones has a goal of being the next Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold – a quarterback who washed out early, but resuscitated his career when he found the right coaching and system. So the next thing that must be decided is picking a starting quarterback for San Francisco’s next game, which comes Oct. 12 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones Says Purdy The Starter NFL Network reported it might be Jones starting because Purdy suffered a setback with his foot injury when he got “hit the same way” against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday as he had in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. So, if Jones is forced to start again, this time with more weapons because Kittle is on the verge of returning and Pearsall and Jennings also could be back, who’s to say he won’t take the job from Purdy outright? Well, Jones says. “I think they brought me here to play as the backup and that’s my job,” Jones said. “Brock’s the starter of this team and right now he’s dealing with something … I’m just trying to get some wins for him so it helps us down the line. “I’ve been in his position. I’ve been the starter. And you want your backup to go in there and win because, at the end of the season, that could be hit or miss between a playoff or not.”