New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rogers (8) drops back against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara on Mon Sep 9, 2024 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
San Francisco 49ers (1-0) started off with some early season jitters but cleaned them up by the second quarter. They beat the New York Jets (0-1) 32-19. Jake Moody kicked six field goals in this game; he was perfect. Jordan Mason tore up the field amassing 147 rushing yards and Brock Purdy finished with 221 yards but no touchdowns.
Game recap: Both teams went three and out on their respective opening drives. The San Francisco front line had their hands full protecting quarterback Brock Purdy. The Jets defense is a good one and Purdy was forced to get the ball out quick. The Niners did not see a whole lot of Purdy in the pre-season which was the case across the league with most of the teams quarterbacks seeing little to no time in those three pre-season contests.
In the Jets second drive, San Francisco’s Fred Warner forced a Jets turnover and the 49ers were back in business. The Niners were not able to move the ball and had to settle for a Jake Moody 46 yard field goal and San Francisco had the early lead 3-0.
Both defensive fronts were doing a bang up job to start. In the Jets third drive Rodgers started to connect with his receivers driving into the red zone. Last season the Jets only had a 35% success rate in the red zone but that all changed Monday night. This fired up Jets team executed a great drive downfield culminating in a touchdown and taking the lead 7-3. Jets Running back Breece Hall rushed for three yards and the score.
The 49ers running back Jordan Mason was having great start and Purdy started connecting with his receivers as the clock began to wind down. As the first quarter came to an end San Francisco had driven into Jets territory starting the second quarter on the Green Bay 29 yard line. The 49ers offense stalled out again on this drive having to settle for another field goal, a 51 yard Jake Moody kick which was good and it was a one point game 7-6 favoring the Jets.
At 6:54 in the second quarter the 49ers overcoming a couple of red zone penalties fought their way into the end zone taking back the lead 13-7. Jordan Mason had scored in the drive but it was called back. San Francisco kept plugging away finally finishing the drive with a two yard Deebo Samuel rush.
As the game progressed, San Francisco had thrown off the opening day jitters and began to dominate the game both offensively and defensively. The Niners front line was doing an exceptional job giving Purdy plenty of time to throw the ball.
As the second quarter came to an end the 49ers extended their lead with a third Jake Moody field goal; this one a 31 yard attempt. He was 3 for 3 and the 49ers took a 16-7 lead into the locker room at the half.
San Francisco had improved with every play since the first snap. At halftime there were already some impressive stats. Jordan Mason had been a force in the first half of the game. He had 11 carries for 74 yards and even turned in a five yard catch.
He did score a touchdown which was called back. Not bad for a guy who was played sparingly last season. He had 40 carries in 17 games for 206 yards and three touchdowns. When you do the math, that comes out to 2.4 carries per game but Monday night he is on course for a 100 yard game in this season opener.
Brock Purdy started really firing on all cylinders finishing the first half with 106 yards. In the second half, San Francisco would be looking to continue dominating this game.
The 49ers continued where they left off in the first half driving downfield on their opening drive of the second half. This time Jordan Mason scored the touchdown on a five yard rush and there would be no penalty to call it back .
San Francisco had taken an impressive lead 23-7. Any worries regarding the absence of Christian McCaffrey were dismissed by Jordan Mason loud and clear. Mid-way through the third quarter, the Niners had a second interception and so far in this game it was all San Francisco.
As the third quarter began to wind down San Francisco had a great drive going but it turned out to be another stalled drive deep in Jet territory having to settle for a fourth field goal. Jake Moody was four for four sending a 53 yard kick through the uprights extending the San Francisco lead 26-7.
With 1:39 left in the third quarter, Aaron Rodgers had a free play and took full advantage of it finding Allen Lazard for 36 yards and the touchdown. The penalty called for defensive offside was declined. The two-point conversion attempt failed and the score was 26-13 in favor of the 49ers. San Francisco would take that lead into the fourth quarter.
San Francisco would tack on a fifth field goal in the fourth quarter, a 23 yard kick followed by a sixth field goal at 4:19 for 42 yards and Jake Moody was six for six tonight. The Jets would score a touchdown with 25 ticks left on the clock.
A second two-point conversion attempt also failed. A 3 yard pass from Tyrod Taylor to Xavier Gipson capped off the evening. The final was 32-19 and San Francisco had eight straight scoring drives in this game.
What a great start for the 49ers. Brock Purdy finished the game going 19 of 29 for 231 yards but no touchdowns. Jordan Mason finished with 28 carries, 147 yards and one touchdown. That is over five yards per carry for Mason.
The Niners had to settle for a few too many field goals kicking six in this game. The good news is that kicker Jake Moody was perfect in this game. The San Francisco front line did a great job protecting Purdy and giving him a lot of time.
It was a disappointing showing for the Jets. So much more was expected with Rodgers leading the team. They had an impressive start but it all went downhill as the game wore on.
Game notes: The San Francisco 49ers on the “big stage” on Monday Night Football took on the Jets and defeated them with authority 32-19. Monday night the 49ers got a good look at all the starters that were not seen in the pre-season and did not see Christian McCaffrey on Monday night. The Niners stopped former Green Bay Packer and now Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers defense held Rogers to 167 yards.
Next Sunday San Francisco will travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings who also won their first game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:00 AM.
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