The San Francisco 49ers surprisingly saw star running back Christian McCaffrey inactive Monday night against the New York Jets.
But his backup, Jordan Mason, did not disappoint in his first career start, as he helped lead his team to a 32-19 victory to start the season on the right foot.
All eyes were on Aaron Rodgers, who was making his return to an NFL field after suffering a torn Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the Jets' “Monday Night Football” game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1.
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San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (24) runs during the second quarter against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium. (David Gonzales-Imagn Images)
But while Rodgers had his first career touchdown pass in this game, it was Mason who stole the show on his home field, Levi's Stadium. Mason scored his first touchdown as a starter and rushed for a career-high 147 yards on 28 carries.
The Jets' stingy 2023 defense was nowhere to be seen when the ball was in Mason's hands, setting the tone from the start.
After the Jets scored the game’s first touchdown — a three-yard run by Breece Hall on a 12-play drive — Mason began to pick up momentum on the team’s fourth series. San Francisco was able to convert two Jake Moody field goal attempts, including one after the Jets’ touchdown to make it 7-6, but Mason got going with four consecutive running plays that ultimately opened up plenty of opportunities for quarterback Brock Purdy.
49ERS STAR CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY SURPRISINGLY INACTIVE AGAINST JETS WITH CALF INJURY
Mason appeared to score the team's first touchdown of the year, but Deebo Samuel was flagged for holding the offense during the drive. In fact, it was Samuel a few plays later who performed a jet sweep and ran the ball in from two yards out, just one play after Mason carried it 11 yards to the Jets' gate.
Mason would finally see that touchdown count on the team's opening drive of the second half, an 11-play, 70-yard masterpiece where he scored from five yards out.
With the score at 23-7 after Mason's score, it looked like this game was out of reach, especially after a tipped Rodgers pass landed in the hands of Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles for an interception on the ensuing drive.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. (Images by Darren Yamashita-Imagn)
But Rodgers' first career touchdown pass couldn't have come at a better time, when he got a free play after a 49ers offsides penalty and threw a 36-yard pass to Allen Lazard, his old friend from the Green Bay Packers, to make it 26-13. Hall couldn't convert the two-point attempt, but it felt more like a game at that point.
However, the 49ers wasted nearly seven minutes on the next drive (yes, Mason had a lot to do with that) by adding another Moody field goal to the scoreboard.
Moody tied a 49ers record with six field goals made in this game on six attempts.
Looking further into the scoreboard, Purdy finished the game 19-of-29 for 231 yards, and Jauan Jennings was his leading receiver with 64 yards on five receptions. Samuel also had five receptions for 54 yards, while rushing for 23 yards on eight carries.
San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (left) celebrates with offensive tackle Colton McKivitz (right) after scoring a touchdown against the New York Jets during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. (Images by Darren Yamashita-Imagn)
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For the Jets, Rodgers completed 13 of 21 passes in what fans will call his true debut, with 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
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