Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers quickly showed that a tumultuous training camp filled with contract disputes and rumors of a post-Super Bowl hangover would have little impact on their success this season.

The 49ers delivered a stunning performance in the season opener, even without injured All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey. Behind backup Jordan Mason, the Niners ran over the New York Jets’ vaunted defense and held off Aaron Rodgers in a 32-19 victory Monday night.

The victory came after a summer in which talk focused on “retaining” the contract of star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, “retaining” the contract of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams and the task of becoming the second team in the past half-century to win the Super Bowl a year after losing in the NFL Finals.

“We have great leaders in this locker room and we have people who follow the leaders and we have leaders who repeat what the coaches preach,” Williams said. “I think that’s what allows the locker room to stay focused.”

After a three-and-out on the first drive, the Niners scored on eight straight plays thanks to 147 yards rushing from Mason and an error-free performance from Brock Purdy.

The defense forced three three-and-outs and had two takeaways in its first six possessions, which proved to be a great performance, which came as no surprise to coach Kyle Shanahan given the way he saw his players prepare.

“I’m with our team every day, so I know there’s a lot of news stories and things with holdouts and things like that and when people come back, but our guys have been great in practice,” he said. “They’re very focused.”

What works?

Run defense. The Niners struggled to stop the run in key moments last season, which contributed to the decision to fire coordinator Steve Wilks and promote Nick Sorensen in hopes of better aligning all three levels of defense. The results in the opener were positive, as San Francisco limited Breece Hall to 54 yards on 16 carries and allowed just 3.6 yards per carry overall.

“We’re very proud of it and last year we weren’t as good as we needed to be,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “We needed to improve.”

What needs help?

Communications. There were mixed messages after the game about when the Niners knew McCaffrey would miss the game. Mason said in a postgame TV interview that he was told Friday he would start, even though McCaffrey was listed as questionable on Saturday. Shanahan said the decision wasn’t made until Monday.

The NFL routinely investigates potential violations of its injury reporting system and can impose fines if the league determines a team has undermined the process. A league spokesman declined to comment Tuesday on the specifics of McCaffrey’s situation.

Replenish stock

K Jake Moody. The sophomore kicker had an impressive day, tying a franchise record with six made field goals, two of which were from at least 50 yards. He became the fourth kicker in NFL history to make six FGs in a season opener and joined Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell as the only kickers to do so with at least two from 50 yards. Boswell did it on Sunday against Atlanta.

Stock down

WR Brandon Aiyuk. After refusing to practice all of training camp under a contract hold-in, Aiyuk looked rusty in his first game since signing a four-year, $120 million extension. Aiyuk had two catches for 28 yards and threw a potential touchdown on a well-placed throw late in the first half.

Injuries

LG Aaron Banks (calf) and WR Jauan Jennings (ankle) assess the situation after sustaining injuries in the game. … McCaffrey assesses the situation. … S Talanoa Hufanga (knee) could return this week for the first time since tearing his ACL last November. … Shanahan won’t have an update on LB Dee Winters (ankle) and DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) until Wednesday.

Key number

8. The Niners had eight scoring drives in a single game for the 11th time in the last 50 seasons, but this was the first time they scored on eight consecutive drives in that span, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

What’s next?

The 49ers are hoping to start 2-0 for the fourth time in eight seasons under Shanahan. They’ve reached the Super Bowl in two of those seasons — 2019 and 2023 — and the NFC title game in 2021.

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