Pressed into a starting role while 49ers signal-caller Brock Purdy sits out with a turf toe injury, fill-in quarterback Mac Jones completed 26 of his 39 pass attempts for 279 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-21 Niners win Sunday. The effort helped San Francisco start the season 2-0, but maybe more interestingly, it allowed NFL media pundits to dive head first into a dream “what if” storyline after the 49ers passed on Jones with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft in favor of Trey Lance.
Basically everyone went with the same “parallel universe,” “destiny” and “a day that had been four-plus years in the making” spiel, from national outlets like the Ringer, CBS Sports and the Athletic to local outlets like the San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Area News Group and the San Francisco Standard.