49ers news: How different are the Niners and Jets since their last meeting?

The San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets will kick off their season on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium with plenty of familiar faces returning for New York.

Robert Saleh, DJ Reed, Solomon Thomas, Javon Kinlaw, and Isaiah Oliver will slap hands with all their old friends. The season series between the two franchises sits at 11-3 in favor of San Francisco. The Jets won their first matchup on October 30th, 1983, by a score of 27-13.

The last time these two teams met in a Week 1 matchup was in 1998 and was punctuated by Garrison Hearst and his 96-yard touchdown run in overtime.

But what about the last time these two teams met? Cover your ears, but we need to go back to 2020. Stadiums were empty, the preseason was canceled, and the 49ers were coming off their Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

The game started with a bang, with Raheem Mostert taking the first play from scrimmage 80 yards for a touchdown, and the Niners were off and rolling. However, the vibes wouldn’t remain immaculate as Nick Bosa and Thomas would be carted off two plays apart, and Jimmy Garoppolo and Mostert would miss the second half with injuries.

The 49ers were already missing George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Richard Sherman, and Dee Ford heading into the Week 2 matchup. MetLife Stadium’s turf would become a point of contention with all the injuries suffered, and the team would return in Week 3 to face the Giants on the same field.

A rookie named Brandon Aiyuk would finish the game with two catches for 21 yards, and our old friend Frank Gore would lead the Jets in rushing with 63 yards on 21 attempts. Jordan Reed led the 49ers with seven catches, and Jerick McKinnon scored a touchdown with 77 yards rushing.

Future 49er Sam Darnold wouldn’t exactly dazzle against his future team, but he did have one highlight reel throw to Braxton Berrios for a 31-yard touchdown during garbage time.

Fast-forward to 2024, and these two teams don’t resemble their 2020 versions at all. The Jets will start Aaron Rodgers with Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Mike Williams on offense. The 49ers have third-year signal caller Brock Purdy under center, with Christian McCaffrey helping lead a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

Monday’s game will be strength-on-strength, with the 49ers offense facing the stout Jets defense and secondary—a far cry from the matchup in an empty stadium in 2020.