Tonight we have the debut of the 2024 season of Monday Night Football in the NFL. The New York Jets travel to Santa Clara, California to face the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers are 4.5-point favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Last year, the New York Jets had high hopes after signing future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to turn things around. The good feelings lasted just four offensive games. Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon and was out for the rest of the year. The Jets’ hopes were immediately dashed and the Jets struggled through a dismal 7-10 season with a trio of backup quarterbacks. Now, at nearly 41 years old, Rodgers is trying to right what once went wrong and lead the Jets to a quantum leap in performance and their best season in a long time. With stars at nearly every position, this is as talented a Jets team as we’ve seen in a long time. The rebuilt offensive line includes future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith at left tackle to protect Rodgers’ blind side. Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson give the Jets a pair of extremely talented stars at the skill positions. The defense has All-Pro talent at every level. If Rodgers comes back healthy and plays anywhere near his usual level, this could be a scary good Jets team, assuming injuries don’t ruin the Jets season again. Tonight, the story of this 2024 Jets season begins to be written. Time will tell if this is a heroic epic or a tragedy of epic proportions.
The Jets’ opponent tonight, the San Francisco 49ers, is at least as talented as the Jets. Many consider this 49ers team to be the most talented roster in the NFL. They have four dynamic stars at the skill positions: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle. Expecting a defense to shut down all four of those guys is a tall order. At the quarterback position, Brock Purdy was outstanding, especially when great left tackle Trent Williams was on the field. On defense, the 49ers, like the Jets, are brimming with talent at every level. With the 49ers playing at home, a win will be a very difficult task for any opponent. However, if there is hope, it lies in the status of several of the 49ers’ star players. Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk both held out all offseason and only reported in the week before this game. Their fitness levels are uncertain and it would be no surprise if neither is 100% yet. Additionally, Christian McCaffrey is recovering from a lower leg injury that kept him out of action all of the preseason. His availability for the game is questionable. McCaffrey has promised he will play, but how much the injury will affect him remains to be seen. Additionally, the 49ers will be without All-Pro safety Talanoga Hufanga tonight. That’s a lot of star power with question marks for the 49ers tonight.
The first week of the season is generally completely unpredictable. No one knows how this season will turn out yet. Sometimes teams that look great on paper fail, and teams that look more likely to move up on paper rise to the top. Trying to predict Week 1 results is a futile endeavor. And I’m just the right fool for the job. Yes, the 49ers are playing at home and deserve to be the favorite. Yes, I’ll probably regret this decision. Still, fools rush into things that even angels dare not. If I can’t be wildly optimistic about the Jets this year before anything bad happens, when can I? So here we go. The 49ers are feeling the negative effects of Hufanga’s absence, McCaffrey’s injury, and the losses of Williams and Aiyuk. Robert Saleh and the Jets head into the lion’s den, riding a rejuvenated Aaron Rodgers and Breece Hall to victory as the home crowd looks on in amazement. I’m picking the JETS to open the season with a game-changing game. Jets vs. the hometown 49ers, no matter what the odds are. If you bet, good luck and please consider using our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Christian McCaffrey was canceled at short notice. Jordan Mason will play the role of Christian McCaffrey tonight. Kudos to the NFL writers for the unexpected last-minute twist.
