The 49ers erased the bitter taste of their Super Bowl LVIII loss with an emphatic 32-19 win against the Jets on Monday night.
While San Francisco was in postseason form, New York wasn’t. Well, everyone except quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Here are five takeaways from the first “Monday Night Football” action of the 2024 season.
49ers don’t need to rush back running back Christian McCaffrey
Backup running back Jordan Mason filled the RB1 role with aplomb with McCaffrey (calf) a late scratch. Mason had 28 carries, 147 yards and a touchdown.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported before the game that McCaffrey’s status for Week 2 is in doubt.
With the way Mason performed as the lead back, the Niners have no reason to rush back their star.
Brandon Aiyuk rusty after contract extension
Aiyuk finished the first half with one reception for 14 yards on three targets. His lowlight came late in the second quarter when quarterback Brock Purdy threw a well-placed ball that went through a diving Aiyuk’s hands.
It wasn’t the ideal beginning for the wideout after he signed a four-year, $120M extension on Aug. 29, ending his training camp hold-in.
His rough start to 2024 drew the ire of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.
“There’s a reason for training camp,” Manning said on his ESPN2 telecast with his brother, Eli Manning, and former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
“We need it. We need the reps. Get those contracts done earlier so we can get in training camp; we don’t drop balls on opening night,” Manning fired.
Aiyuk finished the game with two receptions for 28 yards on five targets.
Jets do Aaron Rodgers no favors
The four-time NFL MVP made several throws on Monday that showed he’s still among the league’s best quarterbacks. New York may have had a better chance of winning if everyone else played on his level.
Wide receiver Allen Lazard dropped a pass on the Jets’ opening drive on a third down, forcing a punt.
Running back Breece Hall, who only gained 54 yards on 16 carries, fumbled after a reception on the first play of New York’s second possession and also dropped a pass.
More troubling was that the Jets defense couldn’t get off the field. San Francisco ran 70 plays to New York’s 49 and had a 38:40-21:20 advantage in time of possession.
Rodgers finished 13-of-21 for 167 yards, one touchdown and an interception on a deflected pass. He had a mediocre Jets debut, and it could have been better if his team helped him stay on the field.
Haason Reddick’s leverage increases
The value of the Jets’ prized offseason addition increased while he remained away from the team seeking a contract extension. Per data from Pro Football Focus, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was only pressured on six of his 32 dropbacks (18.8%).
Reddick had 68 total pressures last season and has 50.5 sacks over the past four seasons. Pay the man, New York. Your defense needs him.
What a difference a head coach makes
With Aiyuk struggling, McCaffrey unavailable and Rodgers returning to the Jets, the table was set for New York to record a statement win.
Instead, we learned the value of an NFL head coach. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan called a brilliant game, while Jets head coach Robert Saleh looked like someone yet to record a winning season.
The difference between the two was most evident during the first drive of the second half, with San Francisco up, 16-7. The Niners marched 70 yards in 11 plays, taking seven minutes and 18 seconds off the clock en route to a touchdown.
Saleh, the former 49ers defensive coordinator from 2017-20, didn’t have an answer for anything Shanahan threw at him. It wasn’t the first time Saleh’s been outcoached, and it won’t be the last.