No McCaffrey, no problem for 49ers as they ride Jordan Mason to cruise past Jets 32-19 in season opener

The vibes weren't particularly great for the San Francisco 49ers heading into their season opener against the New York Jets on Monday night, but one wouldn't have been able to tell based on the results they put on the field.

The 49ers were coming off a messy preseason that included the shooting of wide receiver and first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall, contract disputes with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams, and a calf injury to star running back Christian McCaffrey that resulted in him unexpectedly missing Monday night's game. It was hard to know what to expect from the 49ers on Monday night given all those hurdles, but they performed like they were in midseason form in all three phases of the game, putting on an impressive showing that resulted in a 32-19 win.

The offense was in strong form for the 49ers despite the absence of McCaffrey, thanks in large part to backup running back Jordan Mason, who finished the night with 147 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries behind a strong performance from the offensive line. Quarterback Brock Purdy finished 19-of-29 for 231 yards, while the 49ers went through a stretch of eight consecutive scoring drives after punting on their first possession of the game.

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers finished 13-of-21 for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his first game back since suffering a torn Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 season.

First Half

The two teams exchanged punts to start the game, then linebacker Fred Warner came up with the first big defensive play of the season for the 49ers to set them up in scoring range. On a short first down pass from Rodgers to running back Breece Hall, Warner forced a fumble by punching the ball loose from Hall's grasp, then defensive tackle Maliek Collins recovered the fumble to give the 49ers possession at the Jets 32-yard line. The 49ers went three-and-out after the turnover and had to settle for a 46-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody to take a 3-0 lead.

Rodgers and the Jets found momentum on offense during the next possession, a 12-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in a three-yard touchdown run by Hall. Rodgers connected with wide receiver Garrett Wilson four times on the drive, three of them on third down conversions, then Hall ran in on a second down play to give the Jets a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.

The 49ers responded with a nine-play, 37-yard drive that ended in Moody's second field goal of the game, this one from 51 yards to cut the Jets' lead to 7-6. The drive featured three carries for 22 yards from Mason and a 14-yard third down catch from Aiyuk, but the drive stalled when a third down double reverse to Deebo Samuel fell short at the 33-yard line. The 49ers quickly took possession again after a three-and-out from the Jets that was sealed by a third down sack by defensive end Leonard Floyd.

The 49ers followed up the sack with their first touchdown of the season -- a two-yard run from Samuel to cap a 12-play, 67-yard drive. Three runs from Mason earlier in the drive helped the 49ers move inside the Jets' 40-yard line, then an 18-yard run from Mason was wiped out by a holding penalty on right tackle Colton McKivitz. The 49ers overcame the penalty with a 22-yard completion to wide receiver Jauan Jennings on a 2nd-and-19, then Mason had a 17-yard touchdown run nullified when Samuel was flagged for a holding penalty at the 6-yard line. The 49ers overcame that holding penalty with the help of Mason, who turned in an 11-yard run to give the 49ers a 1st-and-Goal at the 2. Samuel scored on the next play to give the 49ers a 13-7 second quarter lead.

The Jets followed Samuel's touchdown with another three-and-out, then the 49ers took over at their own 12-yard line with 5:18 remaining in the half. The 49ers engineered another 12-play drive that took up almost all of the remainder of the half, but they fell short of a late second quarter touchdown when a pass went through the hands of a diving Aiyuk in the end zone with less than 20 seconds remaining. Moody finished the drive with a 31-yard field goal to give the 49ers a 16-7 lead with four seconds left in the half, then the Jets took a knee to send the game into halftime.

Mason finished with 11 carries for 74 yards in the half, while Purdy completed 9-of-16 passes for 106 yards. The 49ers carried a total yardage advantage of 210 to 83 into the break, while Rodgers finished the half with 64 yards on 7-of-11 passing.

Second Half

Things picked up at the start of the second half where they left off in the first half for the 49ers, who opened the third quarter with an impressive 11-play 70-yard drive that was capped by a touchdown run from Mason to open up a 23-7 lead. The drive took over seven minutes off the clock and included two third-down conversions before Purdy found fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a 34-yard completion on a 1st-and-15 play to set up a 1st-and-Goal at the 3. After a two-yard loss on first down, Mason ran in from five yards out to finish the drive and put the 49ers up by 16.

The 49ers continued to control the game on defense on the next possession, which ended after three plays with the first interception of the season for Rodgers. Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir tipped a pass intended for Wilson into the arms of linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, who notched the first interception of his NFL career. A 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness on Collins was tacked on after the play, putting the 49ers at their own 39-yard line to start their next possession.

After an incompletion to open the drive, Mason added an 11-yard run to move the 49ers to midfield. Purdy threw an incomplete pass on a 3rd-and-8 three plays later, but the 49ers were given a first down after an illegal use of hands penalty on defensive end Jermaine Johnson. The 49ers moved into field goal range from there and finished the drive with the fourth field goal of the night for Moody, this one a 53-yard boot that bounced off the goalpost before falling over the crossbar.

Rodgers and the Jets snapped their scoring drought on the next possession with a five-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 36-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Allen Lazard. The Drive opened with a six-yard completion to Wilson followed by a 26-yard completion to Lazard, then three plays later Rodgers found an open Lazard to cut the lead to 26-13 with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Jets then attempted a two-point conversion run to Hall, which fell short of the goal line

Tyrod Taylor took over at quarterback for the Jets on the next possession and led the offense on a 12-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown pass to Lazard that cut the lead to 32-19 with 25 seconds remaining. The Jets went for another two-point conversion and failed, then the 49ers ran out the clock on the next possession to seal the win.

Game Notes: Mason's 28 carries were the most he's had in a single game since high school, according to the Monday Night Football telecast... The 49ers were listed as 3.5-point favorites coming into the game... Monday night's game was the first meeting between the 49ers and Jets since September 20, 2020. That game was won 31-13 by the 49ers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, but it came with a heavy cost due to multiple season-ending injuries, including one to defensive end Nick Bosa... The win moves the 49ers to 12-3 all-time against the Jets... The 49ers' all-time record on Monday Night Football now stands at 53-31... The 49ers will be back in action on Sunday in their first road trip of the season, a 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT kickoff at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis against the Vikings.