Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

Jordan Mason let the cat out of the bag on national television when he revealed to a reporter shortly after the San Francisco 49ers’ 32-19 victory over the New York Jets that he was told last Friday that Christian McCaffrey would not play Monday night.

McCaffrey was questionable for the season opener because of a strained calf, but he told reporters on Friday that he wanted to play, raising questions about whether head coach Kyle Shanahan was following the league’s injury protocol.

But this isn’t about the NFL’s glorious history of coaches manipulating the injury report. This is about one of the favorites for the Super Bowl having a roster so strong that it doesn’t even need its best player to knock off another title contender. That’s not good news for the rest of the NFL.

With McCaffrey inactive, 30% of San Francisco’s offense was on the bench starting in 2023. But that didn’t matter as Mason, who was not drafted out of Georgia Tech in 2022, proved more than ready for the running back role.

Mason was actually third on the team’s roster at the start of training camp, but backup Elijah Mitchell was placed on the injured list with a hamstring injury during the final roster cuts in August, ending his season.

The 49ers are chasing their elusive sixth Lombardi Trophy, and having players like Mason to step in when key players can’t will be important to San Francisco’s marathon run to the title game.

“Not having Christian is a big deal, but we have a team that’s really focused on running the ball,” Shanahan said. “We’ve got 10 guys out there blocking for the running back. And we’ve got some running backs and receivers that know how to lower their pads and run the ball.”

Mason made his first start in three seasons and made the most of it, finishing with 147 rushing yards on 28 carries, including a 5-yard run that scored a touchdown. Mason’s 17-yard touchdown run was taken back because of a holding penalty on Deebo Samuel.

The last time Mason had that many runs or rushing yards in a single game was in 2016 during his senior year at Gallatin High School, just outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Tight end George Kittle, who finished with four catches for 40 yards, said the 49ers have found their starting position again with McCaffrey, who has the unique ability to catch the ball out of the backfield rather than in the lineup.

“The only positive about Christian not playing tonight is that we just ran outside the zone all day,” Kittle said. “They switched to five down linemen and still couldn’t handle it. I love that brand of football.”

What went wrong in New York on Monday night?

After Brock Purdy’s interceptions were a major topic of discussion during training camp, the third-year quarterback was efficient in San Francisco’s offense and took care of the football. Purdy finished the game completing 19 of 29 passes for 231 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions, and posted a passer rating of 89.9.

Two of San Francisco’s best offensive players – receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams – did not participate in training camp due to contract reasons, but were there on Monday.

Williams arrived just six days before San Francisco’s opening game after signing a lucrative contract extension. But the Oklahoma product showed little rust, playing 70 of 72 snaps on offense. According to Next Gen Stats, Williams allowed no pressure on 33 pass-blocking snaps, his first game without pressure on at least 14 pass-blocking snaps since Week 3 of the 2022 season.

After signing his big contract just before the start of the regular season, Aiyuk was mostly absent. He finished the game with two catches for 28 yards on five attempts, but also had two drops, including one in the end zone. Aiyuk played 43 of a possible 72 snaps on offense as he gets back into game shape.

The 49ers also appeared to have addressed one of their weaknesses by adding defensive linemen Maliek Collins and Leonard Floyd and linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. San Francisco held the Jets to 68 rushing yards, an average of 3.6 yards per carry.

The Niners have shown that they don’t have to be at their best – or even close – to score important wins in the regular season.

“We’ve been preaching all week and all offseason to focus on one game,” Kittle said. “That’s all we can focus on because when you have the lofty goals and expectations, there are distractions.”

There were none for the 49ers on Monday, even after a turbulent offseason and without their best player in the season opener.

Eric D. Williams has been covering the NFL for more than a decade and reports on Los Angeles Lakers for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the The Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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