Jordan Mason Leads San Francisco 49ers to Victory in MNF Opener

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – After two seasons of potential and hard work, Jordan Mason finally got his chance to shine as a starting running back on Monday night. Despite stepping into the role under challenging circumstances, filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, Mason showcased his talent in a dominant performance against the New York Jets, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 32-19 victory.

“I’ve been working all of training camp for this moment, and I’m blessed to be able to get to play today and show it,” Mason remarked after the game.

Mason excelled during his debut, racking up a career-high 28 carries for 147 yards and scoring a rushing touchdown on top of catching a pass for an additional 5 yards. This unexpected opportunity left some fans and analysts wondering how much the team knew about McCaffrey’s condition prior to the game.

In an interview on the field with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, Mason hinted that he might have found out about his starting role “maybe Friday night.” However, Coach Kyle Shanahan clarified that no definitive decision was made until the day of the game.

Just 90 minutes before kickoff, McCaffrey was declared inactive due to ongoing calf and Achilles injuries. Throughout the week leading up to the game, McCaffrey participated in all four practices at a limited capacity and was listed as questionable on the final injury report released on Saturday.

Despite his limited participation, McCaffrey expressed confidence on Friday, stating he believed he would be ready to perform against the Jets and looked forward to taking on his usual workload. After the game, however, Shanahan explained that it became clear McCaffrey was not ready to play as it would have been “a little too much today.” He reassured reporters that there had been no setbacks during practice but noted that McCaffrey’s injury continued to cause discomfort.

“It was on and off throughout the week,” Shanahan said. “He was able to practice but was still feeling some degree of pain. Some days it bothers him; some days it doesn’t. Today was a day it bothered him enough that he didn’t feel good about playing.”

The injury to McCaffrey combined with the season-ending hamstring injury to Elijah Mitchell during training camp created an open door for Mason to climb the depth chart. Mason took full advantage of this opportunity during a strong training camp, setting the Niners at ease about his ability to step in and perform despite previous limitations; before this game, he had never had more than 11 carries or 69 rushing yards in any NFL game.

With 28 carries against the Jets, Mason recorded the highest number of carries by a 49er in a regular-season game since Shanahan took over the team in 2017, and the most in a season opener in franchise history. His 147 rushing yards rank as the fourth most ever in a season opener by an undrafted player and the second most for an undrafted player on Monday Night Football.

The Niners’ locker room is well aware of Mason’s evolution from an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech to a reliable contributor, as he averaged 5.6 yards per carry in his first 33 NFL games. His teammates applauded his efforts, with left tackle Trent Williams noting, “Every time he touched the ball, he looked like that… He was always ready for his opportunity.”

Many of Mason’s teammates, including wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, discovered on Friday that Mason would be starting for McCaffrey. Shanahan had been considering this possibility all week, keeping Mason informed about a week-long chance for a larger role but didn’t confirm his start until Monday afternoon.

“We found out he wasn’t playing today,” Shanahan said regarding McCaffrey. “Until today, I thought he would be playing this whole week.”

As the team prepares for their next matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, uncertainty surrounds McCaffrey’s condition. Shanahan acknowledged the need for continued monitoring of the running back while expressing a willingness to listen to McCaffrey’s self-assessment regarding his readiness to return.

“I’ll ask the player how he’s feeling,” Shanahan said. “If they feel good and they’re ready to play, then they’re ready. If they say they feel good on grass but not on turf, it’s typically not a good sign. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and through the week.”

Regardless of McCaffrey’s status moving forward, Mason’s outstanding performance has solidified his reputation and readiness to step up if called upon again. “I thought he runs like he always does,” Shanahan remarked. “When you get him the ball, he breaks tackles and usually gets more yards than we block for. He was awesome today.”