The defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers are set to host Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets to close up shop on Week 1 Monday night. Rodgers’ return comes roughly a year after he suffered a torn Achilles in his debut with the Jets.
As for the 49ers, they head into this season opener with legitimate title hopes after falling in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs in February’s Super Bowl. Here, we look at the five-best matchups for this Monday Night Football matchup.
Related: Updated NFL power rankings
Garrett Wilson vs Charvarius Ward
Despite poor quarterback play last season, Garrett Wilson was still able to record 95 receptions for 1,042 yards. However, he caught just over 55% of the passes thrown in his direction. With Aaron Rodgers now 100%, we’re expecting even bigger things from Wilson in his third season.
It will not be easy against Charvarius Ward Monday night. He’s among the best cover guys in the NFL. Last season saw the veteran lead the NFL with 23 passes defended while yielding a mere 64.5 QB rating when targeted. This is going to be an absolutely huge matchup.
Read more: San Francisco 49ers standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings
George Kittle vs C.J. Mosley
We expect the Jets to provide safety help over the top with Tony Adams. But the onus is going to be on Mosley to contain Kittle in the passing game. The five-time Pro Bowl performer was not great in this regard last season, giving up a 73.8% completion and 94.9 QB rating when targeted.
For Brock Purdy and the 49ers, it’s all about taking advantage of this matchup. At times last season, Kittle was used more as a blocker than a receiver. This can’t be the case, with San Francsisco’s wide receivers facing difficult matchups.
Read more: Ranking all 32 NFL starting quarterbacks
Breece Hall vs San Francisco 49ers run defense
San Francisco finished last season with the third-best run defense in the NFL. That’s primarily because opposing teams were forced to play from behind. Offenses were able to run against this unit to the tune of 4.1 yards per rush. It is a vulnerability in San Francisco.
If this game is close, the Jets would do well to get Hall 20-plus touches. The former second-round pick from Iowa state afveraged 4.5 yards per rush as a sophomore last season. However, he only attempted 223 rushes in 17 games. That has to change starting Monday night in Santa Clara.
Related: New York Jets standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL offense rankings
Morgan Moses vs Nick Bosa
New York has two new starting offensive tackles in that of Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses. It was a major issue for the team last season. Heck, the Achilles injury Rodgers suffered in Week 1 involved a break down of the Jets’ offensive line.
Heading into Monday’s game, the expectation is that starting right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker will help chip on Bosa. With that said, they need to contain him any way possible. The last thing these Jets need is to see Bosa get multiple free runs on an immobile Rodgers in his first game back since suffering the aforementioned injury.
Related: Expert picks for NFL Week 1
Deebo Samuel vs Sauce Gardner
Sauce Gardner will line up against both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel come Monday. But we’re expecting this to be the matchup most of the time. And it is going to be an absolutely amazing thing to watch.
Like Charvarius Ward, Gardner is among the best cover guys in the game. He yielded a mere 56.4% completion and 80.3 QB rating when targeted last season. As for Samuel, Brock Purdy had a 116.9 QB rating when targeting him in 2023. Something will have to give here.
Read more: Latest San Francisco 49ers news and rumors