- WHERE: Levi's Stadium | Santa Clara, Calif.
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, NFL+
Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season is coming to a close with two teams that have Super Bowl aspirations.
The closing act features the New York Jets traveling out west to take on the San Francisco 49ers. Both squads head into the season opener with expectations of lifting the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans.
The Jets saw how quickly a season can turn for the worst when Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles after playing only four snaps in his first game with New York. Despite a tough pill to swallow at the start of the 2023 campaign, the Jets still went 7-10. Gang Green hopes the returning Rodgers can lift the team to success and 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 in the Super Bowl or NFC Championship Game in four of the last five seasons. There’s definitely urgency in the Bay Area, but with other teams in the conference emerging, the 49ers’ clock is running out of time.
Which team will begin the 2024 season on the right path to New Orleans?
Here are four things to watch for when the 49ers host the Jets on 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 on MNF against the Bills. Twelve months later, Rodgers will get a chance for redemption under the bright lights versus the defending NFC champions. The 40-year-old is entering familiar territory since he grew up a fan of the 49ers in Chico, California. Rodgers attended Cal and was taken 24th overall in the 2005 draft, 23 slots after the Niners selected Alex Smith at No. 1 overall. In his 13 starts versus the 49ers, Rodgers has the highest passer rating by any QB against San Francisco all-time with 103.9 (with a minimum of 10 starts, including playoffs), per NFL Research. After not playing a single snap in the preseason, Rodgers cautioned patience this week, asking Gang Green fans to “trust the process” as he partakes in regular season action for the first time since Sept. 11, 2023.
2) Can the 49ers offense continue rolling? There have been plenty of storylines coming out of the Bay Area this offseason. But the core of Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Trent Williams are all 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 not have McCaffrey -- the NFL's leader in touches, scrimmage yards and scrimmage TDs in 2023 -- who is listed as questionable with a calf and Achilles injury. New York’s defense will certainly be shorthanded in Monday’s contest, as pass rusher Haason Reddick won’t play while in a contract dispute. (Editor's Note: Christian McCaffrey is inactive)
3) Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are a lethal RB-WR duo. The sophomore seasons from Hall and Wilson were positive storylines from the 2023 campaign for Gang Green. Hall ranked fourth in all-purpose yards with 1,584 and collected nine total touchdowns, while Wilson ended his sophomore campaign with the most receptions and receiving yards in a player’s first two seasons in Jets history, per NFL Research. Hall will get an opportunity to play against arguably one of the best running backs in the league in 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 among the upper echelon of running backs next to McCaffrey, but he’ll get an opportunity in prime time to showcase what he has.
4) How will the Niners defense perform with their new DC? There’s a new defensive coordinator in San Francisco, a job previously held by Jets head coach Robert Saleh. New defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen succeeded Steve Wilks, from whom the club moved on this offseason after one season despite the 49ers’ run to Super Bowl LVIII. In 2023, San Francisco’s defense finished third in both rushing yards (89.7) and points allowed per game (17.5). The front seven added Leonard Floyd to help Nick Bosa disrupt opposing offenses. Floyd and Bosa combined for 21 sacks last season. The duo have seen success against Aaron Rodgers as they are two of four players (including playoffs) who have recorded at least four sacks versus the 10-time Pro Bowl QB since 2019, per NFL Research. Fortunately, New York beefed up its offensive line to protect Rodgers. The Jets signed eight-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tyron Smith, traded for Morgan Moses and added John Simpson, all of whom are projected to start against San Francisco. New York will be tested early on with Floyd and Bosa trying to get to Rodgers, making Monday the first opportunity for the Jets to see how their new O-line could take the offense to another level.