49ers' Jordan Mason returns to practice before Chiefs battle, but there's a catch

Just when it looked like the laundry list of injuries to the San Francisco 49ers’ skill position groups had finally gone away for the most part, they picked up another. Running back Jordan Mason went down with a shoulder injury during the 49ers’ win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. Mason tried to return to the game in the second half, but played just one snap before leaving for good.

On Monday, Mason was back at practice with a blue non-contact jersey on, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. Safety Malik Mustapha was not present at practice after his big night on Thursday.

“S Malik Mustapha (ankle), DT Jordan Elliott (knee), K Matthew Wright (shoulder) and K Jake Moody (ankle) were not on the field at 49ers practice,” Maiocco reported on X, formerly Twitter. “RB Jordan Mason (shoulder) was in a blue jersey, I’m told.”

Mason has been a revelation for the 49ers in the absence of Christian McCaffrey, who hasn’t played this season while dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinitis. In six games, Mason has rushed for 609 yards on 114 carries and has found the end zone three times. San Francisco will be hoping that he can make it back for their blockbuster matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

49ers back on track after win against Seattle

For all of the panic button smashing and freaking out about the 49ers after their 2-3 start, they’re in a great spot just one week later.

The worry was understandable. Two of the 49ers’ three losses included fourth quarter collapses against two of their division rivals, but it was always a bit overblown considering their injury situation. After beating the Seahawks in Seattle on Thursday night, the 49ers are back atop the NFC West through six weeks.

The division has been kind of a mess so far this season, as the 49ers, Seahawks and Rams have all dealt with injuries up and down their respective rosters. The Rams have lost almost everyone on offense around Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams and the Seahawks’ defense has been ravaged, especially up front. The 49ers’ skill players have been circling each other on the injury report, and they lost a few key pieces on defense as well.

However, with the exception of McCaffrey, Kyle Shanahan and company are healthy on the rest of their offense now while their division rivals still struggle to fill in the gaps. Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are both back on the field, and both found the end zone on Thursday night to help the 49ers get a big win.

Jordan Mason’s injury is concerning, but the 49ers have shown time and time again that they can fill in a backup running back for a week or two and still get good production on the ground. Their passing game is more limited with McCaffrey out, but assuming he’s on the way back at some point, the preseason favorites in the NFC are still sitting pretty through six games.