Thursday Night Football is a barbaric cash grab from the NFL.

I hope it never goes away.

Because what we watched this Thursday night was just about as good as it gets from an entertainment standpoint. The down-to-their-last-guy 49ers found a way to gut out a 23-20 overtime win against their rivals, the Rams, to move to 4-1 on the season and 3-0 in the division.

Be honest, you didn’t see that coming. Who could have?

Here are the studs and duds from the game of the year.

STUDS

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Mac Jones • QB

Macnificient.

That’s the kind of game on which legacies are built. Jones played near-mistake-free football, threw for 342 yards, two touchdowns on 49 attempts, fought through countless injuries (was he throwing up on the sideline), and did it all with a second-rate roster (save for Christian McCaffrey) that was playing Malik Turner at receiver on a critical late fourth-down drive.

There have been plenty of great free agent signings in the NFL this season, but not one has been as impactful as Jones going to the Niners on a two-year deal worth $7 million.

Have any conversation about Jones and Purdy you want — after a win like that, a performance like that, there is nothing that can be considered hyperbole.

Kyle Shanahan • HC

He and Jones had a mild-meld that the Rams’ offense couldn’t match. The offense was simple, but effective, and while the players on the field executed, you simply have to credit Shanahan for what he was able to scheme on a short week against a Rams team that has a defense with absurd weaponry up front.

Jones brings out the best in Shanahan. Shanahan brings out the best in Jones. There’s simply no use denying it.

And right now, Shanahan is the NFL’s coach of the year.

Christian McCaffrey • RB

Thirty touches, 139 yards — the Niners still can’t run the ball on the ground, but McCaffrey, with the extension of the run game on screen passes and short routes, is still impacting games in a big way.

Kendrick Bourne • WR

An outstanding game, even accounting for a tough drop and back-to-back plays where he didn’t know where to line up.

But when you catch 10 passes for 142 yards, you can get away with stuff like that.

Alfred Collins • DT

It could have been the game-winner. It was undoubtedly the game-saver. Collins’ forced fumble of Kyren Williams at the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter was the kind of stuff that gives a young, talented player like Collins — one who was trying to find his way — the confidence to reach his potential.

Brian Robinson • RB

He was seeing it and feeling it on Thursday, and that, paired with the dire state of the Niners’ depth chart, had Shanahan put Robinson and McCaffrey in the backfield together.

Demarcus Robinson • WR

Jones hadn’t played a game with D-Rob, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have chemistry — they worked together a lot in training camp. That showed in this game, with Jones hitting Robinson with great anticipation rows and the kind of catches only a veteran receiver makes.

Plus, Robinson was an excellent blocker in this game, creating a handful of big plays. Don’t underestimate stuff like that.

Jake Tonges • TE

It’ll be Tonges’ final game as the Niners’ No. 1 tight end — George Kittle is expected back for Week 6. And while Tonges is no Kittle, he did a great job in his stead, catching 7 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown Thursday.

Renardo Green • CB

Consider this the Green breakout game. The second-year cornerback was the man-coverage corner in the Niners’ Cover-6 scheme, and Stafford simply stopped throwing it his way after a second-yard catch for 11 yards be Davonte Adams.

The 49ers’ defense needed him back for this game — without Nick Bosa, these guys cannot rush the passer.

He delivered.

DUDS

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Skyy Moore • KR/PR

» Immediately botched a kickoff, and provided next to nothing from scrimmage. So much for that third-base experience.

In the fourth quarter, Moore allowed a punt to bounce in play and roll to the 2-yard line. The Niners still managed a field-goal out of it, but goodness, that’s the kind of play you simply cannot make.

Issac Guerendo • KR

That might be it for Guerendo, who was saved from a kick return fumble by a quick whistle.

Deommodore Lenoir • CB

The Rams attacked him repeatedly because they knew his aggression will bite him. Three holding penalties (two accepted) showed they were right.

Connor Colby • LG

Another tough day for the rookie, who has regressed significantly since his breakout game against the Saints. By the second half, the Rams were running defensive plays that targeted him and only him — he didn’t hold up well.