49ers score in dominant Week 1 win over Rodgers, Jets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — Coach Kyle Shanahan may have been one of the few people who didn’t imagine the 49ers would struggle early in the season.
“I’m with our team every day,” Shanahan said after the 49ers’ 32-19 win over the New York Jets on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium.
“Our guys are great. They were very focused during training.”
The 49ers had a tumultuous offseason, as left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk missed every practice and struggled with contract issues.
And indeed, the 49ers had a three-and-out on their first offensive possession of the game.
But as for the rough start, that was it.
The 49ers then scored on eight consecutive drives, with six field goals and two touchdowns, to take the lead.
Here’s the 49ers’ first report on the 2024 NFL season:
Attack with haste
Even without Christian McCaffrey in uniform, the 49ers’ run game was no problem. Jordan Mason stepped into the starting lineup and performed like a star against a strong Jets defense.
Mason carried 28 times for 147 yards and a touchdown, the most carries or yards he ever had in a game during his four-year career at Georgia Tech.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel saw a little more action than usual as a ball carrier, with 23 yards and a touchdown on eight rushing attempts.
The 49ers averaged 4.7 yards per attempt with the offensive line controlling the line of scrimmage.
Grade: A
Passing attack
Quarterback Brock Purdy played at full capacity as usual, but he still managed to put together an efficient game.
Purdy distributed the ball to six different pass catchers.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings had five catches for 64 yards to lead the way. Samuel added five catches for 54 yards.
Purdy completed 19 of 29 passes for 231 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 89.9.
Grade: B
Defense with haste
Jets running back Breece Hall is one of the most versatile threats in the NFL, but the 49ers completely neutralized him Monday night. San Francisco’s defensive line has locked things down the middle and already looks dramatically improved from a year ago.
Hall managed just 54 yards on 16 rushing attempts, good for an average of 3.4 yards.
Defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave controlled the line of scrimmage.
Linebacker Fred Warner and Collins generated a takeaway in the first quarter. Warner forced the fumble and Collins recovered it.
Grade: A
Passing defense
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Jets’ passing game couldn’t get much going against the 49ers. Rodgers completed 13 of 21 pass attempts for 167 yards. Leonard Floyd had the 49ers’ only sack of the game.
Deommodore Lenoir made a key play when he broke up a pass from Rodgers for Garrett Wilson. The ball was deflected to linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, who made his first career interception.
Cornerback Isaac Yiadom broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Wilson in the fourth quarter, closing the door.
Rodgers’ lone touchdown came after Floyd was sidelined and the 49ers defense appeared to stall, giving Rodgers the opportunity to hit Allen Lazard for a 36-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Grade: B-plus
Special teams
Kicker Jake Moody started his season fantastic, going 6-of-6 on field goals. Moody made kicks of 51, 31, 53, 23 and 42 yards.
The 49ers also did well on kickoffs, as the Jets did not start a drive beyond the 30-yard line.
Rookie returnman Jacob Cowing handled all three runs flawlessly, averaging 7.5 yards on two returns and one good catch.
Grade: A
Accompaniment
First-year defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen had done everything he could to deal with Rodgers, Hall and the rest of the Jets offense.
Shanahan made it clear during the week that there would be no secrets between the coaches. Shanahan is familiar with Jets coach Robert Saleh’s defense, and Saleh knows all about Shanahan’s offense.
Outside of a trick play in the first half, neither team did anything out of the ordinary. Shanahan and defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen allowed the 49ers to play fast and make plays, and that’s what happened.
Grade: A
General
Shanahan pointed out that it wasn’t perfect. But it was still pretty good for the first game of the season.
The 49ers settled for more field goals than they wanted, so the offense will want to take advantage of more of those scoring opportunities.
But all things considered, this was a thorough and decisive victory against a team that is doing everything it can to get back into the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season.
Grade: A
