The season is just starting, but Monday night might offer a preview of February.
Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets head west to take on Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers in the first matchup of the 2024 “Monday Night Football” slate in Week 1. Both teams are favorites to lift the Lombardi trophy, but 2023 couldn’t have gone any different for either squad.
After an offseason of hope and promise, Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon and missed the entirety of the 2023 season after just four plays as Jets quarterback. While there was a will-he-won’t-he saga of returning, the team ultimately fell short of the playoffs, a bitter end to a season that was dripping in Super Bowl hype.
The 49ers made it to the last game of the season, but again fell just short of a ‘chip, and again it was to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. After navigating some tough contractual waters involving wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tackle Trent Williams, Kyle Shanahan’s offense seemed whole and ready for ascend to the top of the NFC once again. However, the 49ers will be without one of the NFL’s most dynamic playmakers against the Jets with Christian McCaffrey ruled out.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the opening matchup of the 2024 “MNF” schedule between the Jets and 49ers.
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First quarter
49ers field goal (10:58) — Jake Moody, 46 yards
Jets touchdown (3:51) — Breece Hall, 3-yard run (Greg Zuerlein extra point)
Second quarter
49ers field goal (14:04) — Jake Moody, 51 yards
49ers touchdown (6:54) — Deebo Samuel, 2-yard run (Jake Moody extra point)
49ers field goal (0:04) — Jake Moody, 31 yards
Third quarter
49ers touchdown (7:42) — Jordan Mason, 5-yard run (Jake Moody extra point)
49ers field goal (3:28) — Jake Moody, 53 yards
Jets touchdown (1:39) — Allen Lazard, 36-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (two-point conversion attempt no good)
Fourth quarter
49ers field goal (9:43) — Jake Moody, 23 yards
49ers field goal (4:20) — Jake Moody, 42 yards
➤ Game stats
49ers 32, Jets 13: Jake Moody knocks in sixth field goal; Tyrod Taylor replaces Aaron Rodgers
Have yourself a night Jake Moody.
The 49ers kicker joined the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Chris Boswell as the only kickers to make six field goals in a game this week after he drilled another one against the Jets. Moody connected on a 42-yard field goal for his 18th point of the night and to give San Francisco eight straight possessions with a score.
With the score 32-13, the Jets took out Aaron Rodgers for Tyrod Taylor, effectively waving the white flag on this one. — Jordan Mendoza
Jets fail on fourth down conversion
New York appears to be headed toward defeat.
Down by 16 points with less than eight minutes left, the Jets needed to go down the field and get a score to keep hope alive. However, they were forced into a fourth and short near midfield. The offense stayed on the field and Aaron Rodgers tried to hit Garrett Wilson on a slant, but he couldn’t haul it in.
The 49ers will now get the ball with a chance to end this game. — Jordan Mendoza
49ers 29, Jets 13: 49ers offense produces more points
The 49ers have now scored on their last seven possessions.
Brock Purdy was efficient throwing the football on the 49ers’ 11-play, 75-yard drive. Purdy completed six passes to help the 49ers get in the red zone.
The 49ers had an opportunity to score a touchdown on fourth-and-1 on New York’s 5-yard line, but Kyle Shanahan elected to play it safe and go for a short 23-yard field goal by Jake Moody to increase their lead to 29-13.
Moody’ s converted a single game-high five field goals. — Tyler Dragon
49ers 26, Jets 13: Jets stay alive with big touchdown
Vintage Aaron Rodgers has the Jets holding onto hope.
On a free play thanks to an offside, Rodgers found one of his favorite receivers in Allen Lazard streaking down the field for a 36-yard touchdown pass. It was another example of Rodgers taking advantage of defensive mistakes as it was his 18th career touchdown on a free play, the most in NFL history.
New York opted to go for the two-point conversion, but a Breece Hall rush was denied, keeping the score at 26-13 in the final minutes of the third quarter. — Jordan Mendoza
49ers 26, Jets 7: 49ers running up score on Jets
Jake Moody is having himself a night.
Moody drilled a 53-yard field goal to push San Francisco’s lead to 26-7 with 3:28 left in the third quarter.
Rushing back Jordan Mason led the 49ers on a an eight-play drive to get the team in field goal range. Mason has a career-high 109 rushing yards in the contest.
Moody’s made all four of his field goal attempts, including two beyond 50 yards. — Tyler Dragon
Aaron Rodgers picked off
The New York Jets are in danger of being blown out after Aaron Rodgers had a pass tipped and intercepted, giving the 49ers great field position with a commanding lead.
After giving up a touchdown, New York was in need of a response to have a realistic shot in the contest. On the third play of the drive, Rodgers attempted to get a pass to Garrett Wilson, but Deommodore Lenoir got a hand on it to get it in the air and right in the hands of Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles. — Jordan Mendoza
49ers 23, Jets 7: 49ers rolling with another touchdown
No Christian McCaffrey, no problem for the 49ers.
San Francisco opened up the second half with a methodical 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that took more than seven minutes to take a 23-7 lead.
Brocky Purdy orchestrated the drive to a tee, accounting for 61 of the yards gained on that drive, including a deep pass to Kyle Juszczyk that put San Francisco right near the goalline. Two plays later, Jordan Mason juked out the defenders and ran to his right to punch it in.
As much as that drive was done by Purdy, Mason has been impressive filling in for the injured McCaffrey. He now has 17 carriers for 88 yards in addition to the touchdown, both career-highs. — Jordan Mendoza
49ers 16, Jets 7: 49ers extend lead just before halftime
The 49ers have scored 10 unanswered points and took a nine-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers went on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended on a 31-yard Jake Moody field goal just before halftime.
Moody has converted three field goals in the game thus far.
Running back Jordan Mason has filled in nicely for Christian McCaffrey. Mason produced 11 carries for 74 rushing yards in the first half.
Mason and Deebo Samuel have carried the 49ers’ offense for the most part. Samuel’s tallied 38 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
The Jets had two straight three-and-outs to end the first half.
Aaron Rodgers is 7-of-11 passing for 64 yards.
Jets safety Tony Adams has a game-best 10 tackles. — Tyler Dragon
49ers 13, Jets 7: 49ers retake lead on Deebo Samuel TD run
Jordan Mason and Deebo Samuel powered the 49ers on a go-ahead 12-play, 67-yard touchdown drive.
Mason tallied three carries for 20 yards and Samuel, who is lining up at receiver and running back in the game, had a 2-yard touchdown run to cap off San Francisco’s scoring drive.
The 49ers have a 13-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
San Francisco has 93 rushing yards in the first half. — Tyler Dragon
Jets 7, 49ers 6: Jake Moody hits 51-yard field goal early in second quarter
The 49ers went on a nine-play, 37-yard drive to get into Jets territory. But San Francisco ran a reverse to Deebo Samuel on third down that lost three yards. Samuel was lucky to just lose three yards. He juked multiple Jets defenders just to get close to the line of scrimmage.
The 49ers had to settle for a 51-yard field goal by Jake Moody to cut their deficit to 7-6 with 14:04 remaining the first half.
Moody’s made two field goals beyond 45 yards to start the game. — Tyler Dragon
Jets 7, 49ers 3: Aaron Rodgers-Garrett Wilson connection leads to touchdown
Nobody may be happier for Aaron Rodgers’ return than Garrett Wilson.
After dealing with poor quarterback play in his first two professional seasons, Wilson connected with his quarterback several times on the third drive of the day that ended with a touchdown.
On a third down play early in the drive, Rodgers threw a signature dart to Wilson that showed off the playmaking of the two stars to keep the offense on the field. They connected four times on that drive for 45 yards that got New York inside the five-yard line. There, Breece Hall ran it in from three yards out for the touchdown to give his squad a 7-3 lead.
It was a drive Jets fans have been dreaming of since Rodgers joined. — Jordan Mendoza
Aaron Rodgers makes it to five snaps
Aaron Rodgers has already played more snaps than all of last season.
He lasted only four snaps in the 2023 season, but made it to a fifth on the Jets third drive of the day. The result? An unimpressive rush by Breece Hall for no gain.
It was certainly a challenge getting to the milestone considering the offense went three-and-out on its first drive and Hall fumbled on the first play of the second drive. As of that play, Rodgers has only attempted two passes. — Jordan Mendoza
49ers 3, Jets 0: Fred Warner forced fumble leads to field goal
Star inside linebacker Fred Warner is already making an impact.
Warner forced a fumble on New York’s fourth offensive play of the game.
The three-time first-team All-Pro jarred the football loose from Jets running back Breece Hall and recovered the football on the Jets’ 32-yard line.
The 49ers offense didn’t reach the end zone after their defense forced a takeaway. Brock Purdy and the offense went three-and-out but kicker Jake Moody was able to convert a 46-yard field goal to give the 49ers an early 3-0 lead. — Tyler Dragon
What time is 49ers vs. Jets?
Jets at 49ers will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
49ers vs. Jets TV channel
- TV channel: ABC | ESPN | ESPN2
ESPN again is the broadcast home of “Monday Night Football.” The longtime team of Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (color) will be on the call, with Lisa Salters adding reports from the sideline.
Viewers can also tune to ESPN2 for the “ManningCast” featuring Peyton and Eli Manning.
49ers vs. Jets live stream
For cord cutters looking for a live stream for the matchup, you can turn to Fubo TV. Fubo TV carries NBC, as well as CBS, FOX, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch NFL action through the remainder of the season.
ESPN+, the proprietary streaming service of ESPN, will also carry the game.
Jason Kelce has hilarious ‘Monday Night Football’ debut
Not only is Monday the return of Aaron Rodgers, but it’s also the debut of Jason Kelce on “Monday Night Countdown.”
The former Philadelphia Eagles center is part of ESPN’s coverage of “Monday Night Football” this season, and he started off in a fashion only he could do.
When introduced during the pregame show, host Scott Van Pelt revealed he is wearing a shirt “he got at the mall because he left his travel bag in the truck.” The crew of Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears couldn’t help but laugh at Kelce’s mistake as he tried to explain himself, flexing a shirt that looked a little snug on him. — Jordan Mendoza
Jets vs. 49ers inactives: Is Christian McCaffrey playing tonight?
Christian McCaffrey won’t be on the field Monday night.
The San Francisco 49ers ruled McCaffrey inactive before the team’s season opener against the New York Jets because of calf and Achilles injuries.
McCaffrey was listed on the team’s injury report as “questionable.” The running back has been dealing with a calf injury since early August. But many anticipated the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year to be available for the team’s highly anticipated season debut versus Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.
Running back Jordan Mason is slated to replace McCaffrey in the 49ers’ backfield.
Jets’ inactive players:
- OL Max Mitchell
- RB Israel Abanikanda
- OT Carter Warren
- TE Brenden Bates
- DL Eric Watts
- DL Leonard Taylor
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
49ers’ inactive players:
- QB Joshua Dobbs
- RB Christian McCaffrey
- CB Darrell Luter Jr.
- S Talanoa Hufanga
- DL Yetur Gross-Matos
- LB Dee Winters
- OL Ben Bartch
Jordan Mason stats
Jordan Mason, who is expected to get the bulk of the carries out of the San Francisco 49ers’ backfield with Christian McCaffrey inactive, is entering his third NFL season.
Mason — who went undrafted out of Georgia Tech — has compiled 464 yards and four touchdowns rushing in his two NFL seasons. Mason had 206 yards and three touchdowns rushing during the 2023 season.
49ers vs. Jets: Predictions and picks
Here are the USA TODAY Sports’ staff picks for this game:
Jets vs. 49ers odds
The 49ers are favorites to defeat the Jets, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024.
- Spread: 49ers (-4)
- Moneyline: 49ers (-210); Jets (+170)
- Over/under: 43
With DirecTV and Disney still bickering like an old married couple, DirecTV customers looking to watch “Monday Night Football” between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets on ABC Monday are in for a rude awakening when they realize DirecTV no longer carries that channel.
This predicament leaves NFL fans with quite the conundrum. How are they supposed to watch the NFL’s Week 1 conclusion? Well, there is a multitude of ways to get your NFL fix Monday night without DirecTV. — Jon Hoefling
The New York Jets finally have Aaron Rodgers healthy and are looking to blossom into a legitimate contender in the AFC.
Still, when they open their season Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers, they will be missing a key piece they envisioned being part of their program. Two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Haason Reddick has been on a holdout since the Jets traded for him in March, skipping all mandatory offseason sessions, including training camp. — Lorenzo Reyes
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is returning to the NFL spotlight this season. Now, he’ll have a Netflix documentary to add to the buzz.
Netflix announced Monday a new docuseries, titled “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma,” will follow Rodgers’ life off the field and his comeback journey after injury. The three episodes will premiere on the streaming service Dec. 17 and are produced by Religion of Sports, Skydance Sports and NFL Films. — Carrie McDonald
Jets vs. 49ers: A history lesson
Monday night’s matchup is the 15th all-time between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers hold an 11-3 series edge, including winning the most recent matchup in 2020, 31-13. The two teams’ first-ever matchup came during the 1971 season, a 24-21 49ers victory. The starting quarterbacks for the 49ers and Jets that day in 1971 for you trivia buffs: Joe Namath for the Jets and John Brodie for the 49ers.
For those who enjoy testing their NFL wits with Pro Football Reference’s immaculate grids, there have been a number of notable players who played for both teams. The most famous is Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. Frank Gore, the NFL’s No. 3 all-time rushing yardage leader, also played for both the 49ers and Jets. Both Lott and Gore played their final seasons with the Jets after much more celebrated tenures with the 49ers. — Jim Reineking
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