The Los Angeles Rams are picking up the debris from their 27-7 beatdown in Melbourne, Australia. Their rival the San Francisco 49ers then had stars trolling the aspiring Super Bowl contender after the game. But Los Angeles native Jack Jones added further insult toward the Rams.
Jones became an under-the-radar newcomer to the Niners, signing on April 13 nearly two weeks before the 2026 NFL Draft. Thursday’s showdown marked his SF debut, and helping add depth to a cornerback room already featuring Deommodore Lenoir.
But Jones showed out when called upon…and did it against the team he grew up near.
Jack Jones Delivers Stellar Debut
Jones rose as a third CB thrown in to counter the Rams’ arsenal of wideout weapons. He answered the bell in a massive way.
The 5-foot-11 defender got targeted four times by reigning Most Valuable Player on the Rams Matthew Stafford. Yet the star quarterback struggled to generate any kind of explosive plays against Jones. The Long Beach Poly standout got credited for two pass deflections on the afternoon.
The Rams indeed struggled to move the ball against Jones, allowing only five receiving yards his side. And this is an LA offense that features two All-Pro wideouts in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Jones even swatted a pass in front of the latter talent.
In the pedal against Davante Adams can be scary stuff. Great awareness + break.
Finally, Jones created a 39.6 passer rating when he was targeted. Stafford mainly faced him in dime situations (six defensive backs on the field) but mustered only one completion facing Jones.
Turns out Lenoir isn’t the only past LA native who became a thorn to the side of the Rams. Jones added further insult on his end toward the team that played less than 40 minutes away from his high school. He rose as the fourth highest graded defender per Pro Football Focus.
Sean McVay Drops Honesty on Performance
So Jones added an extra wrinkle for the 49ers to throttle one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
This forced Sean McVay to look at himself more after the stunning 20-point defeat.
“I always look inside-out,” McVay said to reporters. “I didn’t do a good enough job getting us ready to go. There were some opportunities where maybe the game could have flipped, but they deserved the win. They were ready to go. And we’ll look at it. We’ll see where we can improve and be better moving forward. But this is a good humbling day. This is what can sometimes happen in sports.”
McVay continues to struggle against the 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan, owning a 7-12 overall record against SF. Now they’ll have 10 days of rest before playing their home opener against a John Harbaugh-led New York Giants. And that game will likely become the highly-anticipated return of defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who didn’t make the Australia trip.
LA Native Adds Further Insult to Rams in Dominating 49ers Performance