The 49ers have all but removed Jordan Mason from the offense's game plan, and that needs to change if they want to stay in contention.
For the first eight weeks of the season, running back Jordan Mason was a revelation the San Francisco 49ers were fortunate to boast.
At one point, well into the year, Mason was trailing only the Baltimore Ravens' Derrick Henry in total rushing across the league, and the former proved to be a valuable insurance policy that guarded against the Niners being without All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey, who missed those eight weeks because of Achilles issues, finally returned to the fray in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, seeing extensive use in that game before equaling his on-field presence again in the Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Mason, meanwhile, almost became a non-factor.
Against Tampa Bay, Mason had a mere one rush for 5 yards. A week later, Mason upped his touches to two carries for 13 yards, far cries from the 20-odd rush attempts he was seeing earlier in the year.
In contrast, McCaffrey had 13 and 19 rush attempts, respectively.
Why?
49ers need to revert back to Jordan Mason being part of the game plan
To some extent, it makes sense why Mason saw a massive decline in touches upon McCaffrey's return. For starters, McCaffrey is McCaffrey, and San Francisco missed his other-worldly presence on the field, particularly in the red zone where his dual-threat capabilities could be deployed.
On top of that, Mason has dealt with a shoulder injury that he seriously aggravated during the 49ers' Week 6 win over the Hawks, which forced rookie rusher Isaac Guerendo into the fray, and this turned into a successful deployment.
That said, Mason more than proved he can be an offensive difference maker, evidenced by his 5.1 yards-per-carry average and 703 rush yards to date. And his powerful, tough-to-tackle approach is a welcomed change of pace that can help keep McCaffrey fresh.
Indeed, with McCaffrey still aiming to get his "football legs" underneath him after not partaking in on-field activities since summer, Mason needs to be included in head coach Kyle Shanahan's game designs.
A healthy balance between the two rushers would be wise, even if McCaffrey gets the majority.
Simply put, Mason getting no more than two carries per game in the wake of McCaffrey's return is mismanagement.