Mac Jones gives 49ers surprising confidence in life without Brock Purdy

Maybe it's definitely a good thing the San Francisco 49ers made quarterback Mac Jones one of their high-profile offseason free-agent pickups.

Granted, the 2021 first-round NFL Draft pick wasn't going to be a starter, at least not with Brock Purdy cemented up on the long term. But, as a competent backup, Jones could easily be a quality go-to if Purdy suffered some sort of lengthy injury.

Turns out, the Niners needed that insurance policy as early as Week 2's road bout against the New Orleans Saints after Purdy suffered a turf-toe injury in the previous week's victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

And it was a policy that paid off handsomely.

With San Francisco improving to 2-0 following its XX-XX victory at NOLA, Jones took center spotlight and deservedly so.

Mac Jones shines in 49ers debut

A slow first drive in which he went 0-of-3 and 3-and-out didn't exactly reveal a hint of what was to come for Jones, whose fantastic two-minute drill at the end of the first half culminated with a touchdown pass to running back Christian McCaffrey.

That drive was near-perfection, but it was only one particular instance of Jones showing the rest of the world why he was a first-round pick and why his flameouts with both the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars don't define him.

A great 42-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass to wide receiver Jauan Jennings in the fourth quarter exemplified Jones' biggest strengths:

Jones' final line from the game -- XX-of-XX for XXX yards, X touchdowns against X interceptions for a XXX.X passer rating -- should rank toward the top of weekly leaders, and it'll certainly be a talking point between now and Week 3.

Inevitably, some of those conversations will lean back toward Purdy, questioning whether the latter is a true superstar or a mere product of the system.

Perhaps it's also a combination of talent, and Jones was finally allowed to display it in a system that played to his strengths.

And, if Purdy still has to miss time, the comfort in Jones' abilities should ease San Francisco's concerns in the interim.