Recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
Jordan Mason ran for 147 yards and a touchdown filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel scored on a 2-yard rush, and Jake Moody kicked a franchise-record-tying six field goals as the 49ers beat the Jets 32-19 on Monday Night Football. Brock Purdy went for 231 yards, no TDs, no INTs against a Jets pass rush missing Haason Reddick. The 49ers scored on eight straight offensive possessions before kneeling out the final drive. Aaron Rodgers returned from his Achilles tear and threw for 167 yards, one TD and one INT exactly 52 weeks after his last Jets opener ended.[1][2][3]
Columnist recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
Christian McCaffrey did not play. Jordan Mason ran for 147 yards. Jake Moody kicked six field goals. The 49ers won 32-19. That is the kind of Monday night a team built for September delivers.
Mason, who entered the year as the most quietly-credentialed backup running back in the NFL, ran like a starter, in part because for the night that was what he was. The 49ers scored on eight consecutive offensive possessions, a stretch of football that, if you took McCaffrey's name off the roster sheet, looked like the 49ers offense that finished 2023 as the conference's best.
Aaron Rodgers, on the other side, made it 60 minutes in his real Jets debut for the first time. He threw for 167. He took the loss. The Jets without Haason Reddick rushed Purdy enough to stop two drives and never threatened the rest of the way. Opening Monday night, defending champs, business as usual.
By the numbers
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
49ers 32, Jets 19. Margin: +13. Season opener.
- Jordan Mason: 28 carries for 147 yards, 1 TD (starting in relief of McCaffrey).
- Purdy: 231 yards, no TDs, no INTs (efficient game).
- Jake Moody: 6 FGs, ties franchise single-game record.
- Deebo Samuel: 2-yard rushing TD.
- Eight straight scoring possessions before the closing kneel-down.
- Rodgers (NYJ): 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, first full game in 52 weeks.
- 49ers 1-0; Jets 0-1.
Film room
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
A 32-19 win to open the season. The 49ers' first game post-Super-Bowl loss looked like the 49ers' games before the Super Bowl loss.
How it unfolded
The Jets opened with an Aaron Rodgers touchdown drive to make it 7-3 in the first quarter. The 49ers responded with the first of six Jake Moody field goals, then a Mason rushing touchdown, then a Deebo Samuel rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 23-7 by the half. The third quarter saw the 49ers extend on Mason's second touchdown drive (a 5-yard score). Rodgers added late insurance for the Jets that did not threaten the outcome.
The turning point
The 12-play, 75-yard drive at the end of the first half. With the Jets within a possession at 13-7, the 49ers drove for a field goal that pushed the lead to 16-7 and effectively put the game out of reach before halftime.
By the numbers
Jordan Mason 28 carries for 147 yards (5.3 ypc) and a TD; Purdy 231 yards on 19 of 26 with no TDs and no INTs; six Jake Moody field goals to tie the franchise single-game mark. Rodgers 167 yards, one TD, one INT. The 49ers ran 71 plays to the Jets' 55.
Personnel watch
Christian McCaffrey inactive with a calf strain. Jordan Mason started and looked like the back the 49ers thought they had backing up the All-Pro. Deebo Samuel, on the rushing touchdown plus four catches for 50, looked recovered from offseason shoulder. Nick Bosa generated two sacks and pressured Rodgers on a third of his dropbacks.
What it means
A 32-19 win to open the year, with the team's MVP candidate in street clothes and the most accomplished quarterback the 49ers will face this season on the other side. The win came with the depth-chart trump card already in play.
