The San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets did battle on Monday from Levi’s Stadium to close up shop on Week 1 of the NFL season.
It represented Aaron Rodgers’ return after he suffered a torn Achilles a few snaps into his Jets career roughly a calendar year ago. For the defending NFC champion 49ers, this was also an opportunity to prove that they are still legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
San Francisco imposed its will big time in an 32-19 win. That included scoring on eight consecutive drives, with six field goals from kicker Jake Moody. Meanwhile, Rodgers and the Jets’ offense couldn’t get it going. Here, we look at five winners and losers from San Francisco’s 19-point victory.
Related: NFL Week 2 power rankings
Winner: Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers
This former undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech started in favor of an injured Christian McCaffrey Monday night. Sure, no one is going to duplicate what the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year does. But the 49ers had confidence in Mason after he averaged 5.6 yards per rush as a rookie last season.
Mason was absolutely on one against the Jets. He went for a career-high 147 yards on 28 attempts while scoring two touchdowns. This is the type of balance San Francisco wanted heading into Week 1.
Related: San Francisco 49ers standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings
Loser: Quinnen Williams, New York Jets
Most figured that the Jets would be able to take advantage of a questionable interior of the 49ers’ offensive line. That included defensive cornerstone Quinnen Williams doing his thing. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Williams recorded one quarterback hit and zero sacks. He was also one of the primary culprits as San Francisco ran roughshod through the Jets’ defensive line. This is not what head coach Robert Saleh and Co. was hoping for heading into Week 1.
Read more: New York Jets’ Aaron Rodgers standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB rankings
Winner: Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk get most of the play at wide receiver for San Francisco. However, this former seventh-round pick from Tennessee has proven to be extremely underrated. That included throwing a touchdown and catching another in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.
What we saw from Jennings Monday night was nothing less than spectacular. He caught five passes for 64 yards despite dealing with an ankle injury. He was also physically imposing in blocking on the ground. We’ll be hearing more from Jennings moving forward this season. That’s for sure.
Loser: Breece Hall, New York Jets
The Jets wanted balance on offense Monday night. With Aaron Rodgers making his first appearance in nearly a calendar year, we knew rust would be the name of the game. It’s in this that Hall needed to step up.
It did not happen. Hall lost a fumble early. He also dropped a couple passes. Meanwhile, the former Iowa State star went for just 54 yards on 16 attempts. New York certainly needs more from him moving forward. That’s for sure.
Related: NFL Week 1 winners and losers
Winner: Charvarius Ward, San Francisco 49ers
We focused on this star cornerback heading into Monday night’s game against the Jets. Ward led the NFL with 23 passes defended a season ago. He also held quarterbacks to a 64.5 passer rating when targeted. Would he be up to his old tricks against Rodgers and Co.?
Boy, did Ward continue to impress. Prior to a garbage-time touchdown late in the fourth quarter, he played a major role in holding Rodgers to 167 passing yards. Only two Jets wide receivers hauled in catches Monday night. That’s some brilliant stuff from Ward and Co.