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49ers come out of Week 1 as top-ranked NFC team
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49ers come out of Week 1 as top-ranked NFC team

Eric Edholm, Lead Designer

“Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) sat out the game. His backup, Jordan Mason, rushed for a career-high 147 yards, more than double his previous best. Mind you, two of the 49ers’ stars, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams, were out of training camp due to contract disputes and were clearly still preparing. (Williams went into the locker room at one point in the fourth quarter to receive IV fluids, according to the ESPN broadcast.) Yet the Niners did nothing but grind out a supposedly stout Jets defense for most of Monday night’s game, to the tune of 32 points on eight straight drives. The only slight disappointment was settling for six field goals, but Kyle Shanahan coached a gem of a game. He hit those inside runs with Mason and kept the Jets off balance with his turnovers. Death by papercut. Now imagine what this team can do at full strength.”

ESPN NFL Nation’s Nick Wagoner on the Best Performance by a Newcomer

“San Francisco signed Leonard Floyd in free agency to be the down-to-down complement to DE Nick Bosa who hasn’t had it since Dee Ford in 2019. The early results were good on Monday night. Floyd finished with two tackles, one sack, one stuff and one pressure that led to an interception on Jets QB Aaron Rodgers.”

Bleacher Report Staff

“No Christian McCaffrey? No problem. For most NFL teams, losing their most dangerous offensive player right before the game would be a death knell. But in San Francisco’s dismantling of the New York Jets, McCaffrey was hardly missed, thanks in large part to the running of third-year pro Jordan Mason. Mason amassed 147 yards and a score on 28 carries (his most since high school), consistently tormenting the Jets to their core.”

Mike Florio, Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Talk

“Yes, the 49ers are good enough not to have one of their best players and still not miss a beat.”