SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers wasted little time showing that the tumultuous training camp filled with contract disputes and talk of Super Bowl hangovers would have little impact on their success this season.
The 49ers put together an overpowering performance in the season opener even without injured All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey. Behind backup Jordan Mason, the Niners ran all over the heralded defense of the New York Jets and held Aaron Rodgers in check in a 32-19 victory Monday night.
The win came after a summer where the talk was focused on star receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s contract “hold in,” All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams’ contract holdout and the task of becoming just the second team in the past half-century to win a Super Bowl the year after losing in the NFL title game.
“We have great leaders in this locker room and we have people who follow the leaders and we have leaders that echo what the coaches are preaching,” Williams said. “I think that’s the reason the locker room is able to stay focused.”
After a three-and-out on the first drive, the Niners scored on eight straight possessions thanks to 147 yards rushing from Mason and a mistake-free performance from Brock Purdy.
The defense forced three three-and-outs and had two takeaways in the first six possessions in what proved to be a complete performance that came as little surprise to coach Kyle Shanahan based on the way he saw his players prepare.
“I’m with our team every day, so I know there’s lots of news stories and stuff with holdouts and things like that and when are people coming back, but our guys have been awesome in practice,” he said. “They’ve been very focused.”
What’s working
Run defense. The Niners had problems stopping the run at key times last season, contributing to the decision to fire coordinator Steve Wilks and promote Nick Sorensen in hopes of better tying all three levels of the defense together. The results in the opener were positive as San Francisco held Breece Hall to 54 yards on 16 carries and allowed just 3.6 yards per carry overall.
“We take a lot of pride in it and last year we weren’t as good as we needed to be,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “We had to improve.”
What needs help
Communication. There were mixed messages sent after the game about when the Niners knew McCaffrey would miss the game. Mason said in a postgame TV interview that he was told Friday that he would start even though McCaffrey was listed as questionable on Saturday. Shanahan said the decision wasn’t made until Monday.
The NFL routinely looks into possible violations of injury reporting and can issue fines if the league determines a team subverted the process. A league spokesman declined to comment Tuesday on the specifics of McCaffrey’s situation.
Stock up
K Jake Moody. The second-year kicker had an impressive day, tying a franchise record with six made field goals with two coming from at least 50 yards. He became the fourth kicker in NFL history to make six FGs in a season opener and joined Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell as the only ones to do it with at least two from 50 yards. Boswell did that on Sunday against Atlanta.
Stock down
WR Brandon Aiyuk. After refusing to practice all of training camp in a contract “hold in,” Aiyuk looked rusty in his first game since signing a $120 million, four-year extension. Aiyuk had two catches for 28 yards and dropped a potential touchdown on a well-placed throw at the end of the first half.
Injuries
LG Aaron Banks (calf) and WR Jauan Jennings (ankle) are day to day after getting hurt in the game. … McCaffrey is day to day. … S Talanoa Hufanga (knee) could return this week for the first time since tearing his ACL last November. … Shanahan won’t have an update on LB Dee Winters (ankle) and DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) until Wednesday.
Key number
8. The Niners had eight scoring drives in a game for the 11th time in the past 50 seasons, but this was the first time they scored on eight consecutive drives in that span, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
What’s next
The 49ers look to start 2-0 for the fourth time in eight seasons under Shanahan. They made the Super Bowl in two of those seasons — 2019 and 2023 — and the NFC title game in 2021.
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