Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes as Brock Purdy’s replacement and the visiting San Francisco 49ers held off the New Orleans Saints 26-21 on Sunday afternoon.
Jones made his debut for the 49ers (2-0) in place of Purdy, who is sidelined by a toe injury, and completed 26 of 39 for 279 yards.
Spencer Rattler matched Jones’ three touchdown passes while completing 25 of 34 for 206 yards and Alvin Kamara rushed for 100 yards on 21 carries for the Saints (0-2).
On the first possession of the third quarter, Jones fumbled when hit by Chris Rumph II and Demario Davis recovered for New Orleans at the San Francisco 47. Ten plays later, Rattler threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Rashid Shaheed to trim the 49ers’ lead to 16-14.
San Francisco responded with a drive that ended with Eddy Pineiro’s 46-yard field goal for a 19-14 lead at the end of the third. After a Saints fumble, Jones connected with Jauan Jennings for a 42-yard score that made it 26-14.
Rattler threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Devaughn Vele to get New Orleans within 26-21 with 6:18 remaining. The Saints got the ball back twice more, but didn’t threaten to score.
The Saints drove into scoring range on the game’s first possession, but Blake Grupe missed a 40-yard field goal — one week after he missed a 37-yarder in a loss to Arizona.
The 49ers drove 80 yards and Jones threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Farrell, who started in place of injured George Kittle. Pineiro, signed to replace Jake Moody after Moody missed two kicks last week, missed the extra point, leaving San Francisco with a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Pineiro bounced back to kick a 40-yard field goal that increased the lead to 9-0 early in the second quarter.
Rattler drove the Saints 84 yards and threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson to trim the lead to 9-7 with 1:14 left in the half. Jones responded with a 77-yard drive and a 7-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffery, which sent San Francisco into halftime with a 16-7 lead.
