SANTA CLARA -- Two weeks before quarterback Brock Purdy permanently became the 49ers’ starter, he entered for the final eight minutes of a blowout victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Purdy and running back Jordan Mason were paired together in the backfield during that Week 11 game in Mexico City.
At the time, "Monday Night Football" broadcasters Joe Buck and Troy Aikman got a chuckle out of a broken play involving the rookies.
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Purdy turned to his left to hand off to Mason. However, Mason expected the handoff to the right side. The play blew up but Purdy managed to scramble up the middle for 5 yards.
Back in the huddle, Purdy figured he needed to say something to get Mason to calm his nerves.
“Relax,” Purdy told Mason. “Just breathe.”
However, it was quickly pointed out to Purdy that the busted play was not Mason’s fault. Purdy was the one responsible for the execution error.
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For as mature and calm as Purdy appeared from Day 1, Mason was the one who ran that particular play as it was drawn up.
Understandably, Purdy took particular delight Monday night in seeing Mason take full advantage of his first NFL starting opportunity. Mason gained 147 yards and scored one touchdown on 28 rushing attempts in the 49ers’ 32-19 victory over the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium.
“When we first got here, that’s when we were first trying to learn the playbook,” Mason said in the 49ers’ locker room after the game. “But now we’ve grown up. We’ve been studying the playbook, so we don’t have to lean on each other as much now. Three years in the league now.”
Purdy and undrafted Mason came to the 49ers without a lot of attention drawn to them. Mason spent four years at Georgia Tech. He saw a reduction in playing time in his final two seasons with the arrival of highly touted running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Gibbs later would transfer to Alabama and become the No. 12 overall pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL draft.
“I was the last pick and he was undrafted," Purdy said. "And knowing that, we weren't going to have a lot of opportunities. We had to make the most of the opportunities that we got. So he knew that and we both did.
“He's earned it. He's the kind of guy that was not given to him. And so to see him go out and do what he did tonight, I'm so happy for him and I know he is going to keep pushing.”
Mason found a role with the 49ers in his first two seasons as the No. 3 back behind Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell. Mason beat out a pair of third-round draft picks, Trey Sermon and Ty Davis-Price, to earn his role on the team.
Mason appeared ready to supplant Mitchell as the team’s backup early in training camp this summer even before the latter was lost for the season due to a hamstring injury.
Mason moved up to the starting role for the season opener when McCaffrey was ruled out due to calf and Achilles issues that sidelined him early in training camp.
It remains to be seen how long Mason will continue as the 49ers’ lead back due to McCaffrey’s condition. He proved that the 49ers' offense can keep rolling when he's on the field.
“You just got to have that heart, that dog in you to want it,” Mason said. “So it builds up and you play with all you got.”
And that was more than enough for him Monday night to overpower the Jets' defense in his NFL breakout performance.
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