- WHERE: Levi’s Stadium | Santa Clara, California.
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, NFL+
Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season comes to an end with two teams having Super Bowl ambitions.
Finally, the New York Jets travel west to face the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams enter the season opener in New Orleans with the expectation of winning the Lombardi Trophy.
The Jets saw how quickly a season can turn for the worse when Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in his first game for New York after just four appearances. Despite this bitter pill to swallow at the start of the 2023 season, the Jets still managed a 7-10 record. Gang Green hopes that the returning Rodgers can lead the team to success and get them back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are looking to finally get over the hump and win the Super Bowl. San Francisco has lost the Super Bowl or NFC Championship Game in four of the last five seasons. There is definitely a rush in the Bay Area, but with other teams emerging in the conference, the 49ers are running out of time.
Which team will start the 2024 season on the right path to New Orleans?
Here are four things to watch for when the 49ers host the Jets Monday Night Football:
1) Aaron Rodgers’ second chapter as a Jet. The last time Rodgers was under center, the four-time MVP quarterback tore his Achilles tendon on MNF against the Bills. Twelve months later, Rodgers will get a chance at redemption under the bright spotlight against the reigning NFC champions. The 40-year-old is treading familiar territory, having grown up a 49ers fan in Chico, Calif. Rodgers attended Cal and was selected 24th overall in the 2005 draft, 23 spots after the Niners selected Alex Smith with the No. 1 pick. In his 13 starts against the 49ers, Rodgers has the highest passer rating of any quarterback against San Francisco (with at least 10 starts, including playoffs) at 103.9, according to NFL Research. After not playing a single snap in the preseason, Rodgers urged patience this week and asked Gang Green fans to “trust the process” as he returns to the regular season for the first time since Sept. 11, 2023.
2) Can the 49ers offense continue like this? There have been many exciting stories from the Bay Area this offseason. But the core of Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Trent Williams is back together for the 2024 season. In 2023, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense led the league with 28.4 points per game. Purdy enters his third season in the NFL with a 17-4 record as a starting quarterback in the regular season. However, Purdy may be without McCaffrey – the NFL leader in touches, scrimmage yards and scrimmage TDs in 2023 – who is considered questionable due to a calf and Achilles tendon injury. New York’s defense will certainly be shorthanded for Monday’s game, as pass rusher Haason Reddick will not play due to a contract dispute.
3) Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are a deadly RB-WR duo. Hall and Wilson’s sophomore seasons were positive headlines for Gang Green heading into the 2023 season. Hall ranked fourth with 1,584 all-purpose yards and collected nine total touchdowns, while Wilson finished his second season with the most receptions and receiving yards in the first two seasons of any player in Jets history, according to NFL Research. Hall will get the opportunity to play against arguably one of the league’s best running backs, Christian McCaffrey. This offseason, Hall said McCaffrey “sets the standard” at the position and wanted to see where he stands against the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year on Monday. It will take some time for Hall to prove to the rest of the league that he belongs in the top tier of running backs alongside McCaffrey, but he will get a prime-time opportunity to show what he can do.
4) How will the Niners defense perform with their new DC? San Francisco has a new defensive coordinator, a position previously held by Jets head coach Robert Saleh. New defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen succeeded Steve Wilks, who the club parted ways with this offseason after just one season despite the 49ers reaching Super Bowl LVIII. In 2023, San Francisco’s defense ranked third in both rushing yards (89.7) and points allowed per game (17.5). The front seven was bolstered by Leonard Floyd to help Nick Bosa disrupt opposing offenses. Floyd and Bosa combined for 21 sacks last season. The duo have been successful against Aaron Rodgers, as they are two of four players (including playoffs) to record at least four sacks against the 10-time Pro Bowl QB since 2019, according to NFL Research. Fortunately, New York has bolstered its offensive line to protect Rodgers. The Jets signed eight-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tyron Smith, traded him for Morgan Moses, and added John Simpson. All three are expected to start against San Francisco. New York will be tested early as Floyd and Bosa try to get to Rodgers, giving the Jets their first opportunity on Monday to see how their new O-line can take the offense to new levels.
