Jordan Mason stepped out into the spotlight when Christian McCaffrey went down, taking over to lead the San Francisco 49ers’ backfield. In just two games, Mason has run for 247 yards and two touchdowns. He runs with some speed and shows a lot of grit now that he is thrust into the role in place of McCaffrey. Thus, he averages 5.1 yards per carry. But despite Jordan Mason’s brilliant play, it’s clear that the 49ers still feel chasms at running back where their star once stood.
Jordan Mason’s Struggles in Passing Game
Perhaps most glaring, though, is the apparent lack of any realistic and functional passing game outlet without McCaffrey. Against the Minnesota Vikings, Brock Purdy had an unsuccessful go of it, and it exposed just how much this offense needs McCaffrey in his multiple-receiver role. Jordan Mason worked extensively at being a better pass-catcher this offseason; however, he has contributed very little so far—he had one catch for four yards in Week 2. McCaffrey was a dynamic, exciting element of this passing game, and Jordan Mason has not yet filled the hole left behind.
That Jordan Mason isn’t executing in the passing game is reflective of a broader issue: Without McCaffrey, they miss someone they could rely on to make plays both as a runner and receiver. Jordan Mason’s shown he’s capable of running the ball quite effectively, but he hasn’t created enough space for them. They can’t do that without him. The defense does not have to lock down the end to keep him out of it entirely, not locking down the run severely and making major adjustments secondary.
Jordan Mason’s Workload and McCaffrey’s Absence
Another red flag is the enormous workload he is carrying. In last week’s loss, he carried the ball 20 times and added to what he had in the opener with 28 carries. That’s a lot of heavy lifting for one man, and it becomes very frightening with McCaffrey out indefinitely. With the rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. expected to fill the void, neither has made much of an impact at all. Too much reliance on Mason will only end up miring him with gory details about overworking, among others.
Now that McCaffrey is gone, the 49ers have not been as explosive offensively. They scored 49 points in two games, but there have been problems with them, especially in such crucial situations as red zone and third downs. McCaffrey was integral to the kind of success the offense had, and his absence has quickly made it clear that Mason alone cannot supply the same level of offensive pop. That speaks really highly about how integral McCaffrey was to their scheme.
Conclusion
If anything, it was a sure thing that Jordan Mason was going to step up in Christian McCaffrey’s absence as he burst forth with some nice rushing stats and drive. Well, the concern is that all of these things above are too passe, and there are issues at stake here where the 49ers need to watch out for their passing game, which is overly relying on Jordan Mason.
What they also have to do is improve their depth chart at running back and remix their offense for effectiveness. As the season wears on, it will be essential for the team to adjust and make sure that Jordan Mason’s performance does not deteriorate because of such an immense load upon his shoulders, simultaneously trying to recapture some of the dynamic elements McCaffrey brought to the field.
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