49ers news: 3 quick takeaways from the 32-19 win over the Jets

The San Francisco 49ers made a powerful statement to kick off the 2024 season, delivering a resounding 32-19 victoryover the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium. Their performance was a display of dominance on both sides of the ball, setting a high bar for the season ahead.

The 49ers’ offense was a force to be reckoned with, scoring on eight consecutive possessions and relying on their run game to surpass the coveted 30-point mark. This offensive dominance was truly impressive.

Defensively, San Francisco limited quarterback Aaron Rodgers in his return, forcing a pair of turnovers and stifling the Jets’ offense.

Here are three quick takeaways from Monday’s 49ers’ 32-19 win over the Jets.

Trench play

Ahead of the game, one of my biggest takeaways was generating pressure, as both teams had top defenses with elite players that could get after the quarterback in Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams.

To begin the game, it seemed the 49ers’ offensive line may be in trouble, as right tackle Colton McKivitz and center Jake Brendel both were beat on third downs, ending those respective drives.

However, I was impressed by the unit throughout the game, as the 49ers posted a 96.1 percent pass block win rate on Monday night, with blank sheets from Trent Williams and Aaron Banks.

Quarterback Brock Purdy was given ample time to execute his plays, as the 49ers’ offensive line demonstrated their prowess. This allowed Purdy to settle in after a rusty start, ultimately amassing 231 passing yards while completing 65.5 percent of his throws.

Additionally, the blocking on the ground was great for running back Jordan Mason, as 94 of the running back’s 147 yards came before contact, marking for an extremely impressive 3.35 yards per carry. Then, when you add in Mason’s sheer physicality, you get 5.3 yards per carry on insane volume.

Defensively, the 49ers managed to disrupt the Jets’ tempo, even if the overall pressure rate wasn’t elite. They got home on Aaron Rodgers just once, but the front four made key plays in the game that disrupted the tempo for the Jets quarterback. This success should instill confidence in the 49ers’ defensive capabilities.

More importantly, San Francisco was stellar against the run, allowing Breece Hall to go for just 54 yards on 16 carries, which made New York one-dimensional.

The two fronts were going to be vital in this game, and the 49ers won on both sides of the ball, leading to a productive win.

Pounding the rock

The first game of the NFL season doesn’t usually look pretty, and the 49ers definitely have a few things to clean up, but that was an impressive start to the year in multiple facets for San Francisco.

The clearest positive from the game was running back Jordan Mason, who finally got his breakout opportunity and ran with it (both literally and figuratively), going for 147 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. To make matters even better, Mason caught a pass out of the backfield for a first down as well.

It felt like we all knew Mason was capable of this type of performance, given his hard rushing style and the 49ers ability to scheme things up on the ground. But, the running back had to wait for his opportunity, and it took until the first game of his third season to make his first career start.

Mason consistently churned out 5+ yard gains, which set the 49ers passing game up in favorable situations, helping quarterback Brock Purdy settle in from the second quarter onwards.

And, he was able to handle 28 carries, the most that any Kyle Shanahan back has gotten in a game since he arrived in San Francisco. That includes the Raheem Mostert, rookie Elijah Mitchell, and Christian McCaffrey days.

The 49ers made the move to anoint Mason as their running back No. 2 this offseason. Through one game, that move has definitely paid off.

The question now becomes: how involved will Mason be once McCaffrey returns? And does Mason’s arrival onto the scene allow for the 49ers to treat the star’s injury with even more caution to start the season?

Money Moody

The 49ers started the game with a three-and-out, which felt like the game could be more of a defensive battle than a shootout.

Well, from there on out, San Francisco couldn’t be stopped, as the offense scored on eight consecutive drives, ultimately ending with 32 points.

However, of those eight drives, the 49ers settled for six field goals, including two over 50 yards, leading to a ton of opportunity for second-year kicker Jake Moody.

Moody’s statline on the night? 6/6 on field goals and 2/2 on extra points for a total of 20 points.

Last year, the kicker faced struggles in a few games, resulting in the 20th-best kicker percentage in the NFL, leading to questions about how quickly he could develop for the 49ers.

Well, in Week 1, Moody got the volume and delivered time and time again, with head coach Kyle Shanahan even saying that this is the most confident he’s been in a kicker from beyond 50 yards.

Now, the offense can’t be settling for six field goals on a weekly basis. They were just 2/5 in the red zone, while narrowly missing out of the area for three other field goals. Some of those opportunities need to be converted to touchdowns.

But, given that it’s Week 1 and the fact that San Francisco scored on eight consecutive drives, you’ll definitely take the results, especially when given the fact that Moody was able to convert on all six of his field goal attempts, even getting some help from the goalpost to knock one in.

Productive outing for Moody and the 49ers.