The Aaron Rodgers era officially began on Monday night, yet things felt eerily similar to those of the old, dysfunctional Jets.
Gang Green (0-1) was beaten 32-19 by the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers even without star running back Christian McCaffrey, yielding 23 unanswered points between the second and third quarters after taking a 7-3 lead.
Here are three takeaways from the opening bobble in Santa Clara.
Punchless defense without Reddick: Monday night could not have gone better for Haason Reddick, who watched the Jets’ defense get dominated by the 49ers.
As the star edge rusher continues to hold out for a new contract, he can now bring New York’s Week 1 performance to the negotiating table as they could not find a way to slow down the Niners despite not having one of the best playmakers in football in McCaffrey.
The Jets were outgained 401-266 while allowing the 49ers to dominate possession. They had the ball for over 38 minutes, while New York saw it for just over 21.
Their defensive front was bullied as San Francisco’s backup running back, Jordan Mason, went off for 147 yards and a touchdown. After taking a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, the Niners’ offense ran 44 of the next 51 plays while scoring on each of their next seven drives.
Of the nine drives the 49ers had, only their opening and closing drives of the game did not end with points — and that last drive ended with backup quarterback Brandon Allen taking knees in victory formation.
All the while, Niners QB Brock Purdy did not experience a ton of pressure. He was sacked twice for just six yards lost.
“They’re very, very good up front,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “From an efficiency standpoint, they beat us up front. Plain and simple.”
Rusty Rodgers: There was an understandable amount of rust that Aaron Rodgers had to knock off as he took his first competitive snaps since tearing his Achilles one year ago.
He completed just 13-of-21 passes for 167 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
There were some flashes of what we’ve come to expect from the future Hall-of-Famer. With the game out of reach, he hit Allen Lazard for a 36-yard touchdown with a perfect ball over the middle which was his best pass of the game.
There was also the not-so-good, including an off-target pass that was deflected by wide receiver Garrett Wilson and ended up being an interception in the third quarter of what was a 23-7 game.
“I can play better,” Rodgers said. “I missed a couple of throws. I missed the one to Garrett. The last drive I was in, the pick. I missed slightly inside on that one. I felt overall I was getting the ball out pretty good. We had some opportunities I’d like back.”
The good news is that Rodgers came out of the opener unscathed.
“Yeah, it’s been a while. I felt great,” he said. “A lot of gratitude just to be back in pads. So many people helped me get to this spot. I’m really thankful for my surgeon, my PTs, my loved ones, my friends, the staff here
and the training staff to help me get back was really cool. Obviously, I wanted to take a shot and feel the
physicality of it. Once I threw a couple balls and took a shot, it felt good and like I was into the game.”
Not there yet: Most of the offseason was spent talking about how the Jets were on the verge of becoming contenders in the AFC, but even the best teams had to learn how to win.
Consider Monday night a learning experience as the gulf in class between a legitimate Super Bowl favorite and the Jets was sizable.
“You realize all of a sudden, you’re not there,” Wilson said after the game. “We’re not there yet. They whipped our a** today.”
In need of a confidence boost, a trip to Tennessee against a far weaker Titans team could get the Jets right and provide a springboard for the rest of the season in Week 2.
