San Francisco ruined Aaron Rodgers’ much anticipated return to the field as the 49ers defeated the New York Jets 32-19 on Monday night thanks to 147 yards of ground gain and a touchdown from running back Jordan Mason.

52 weeks to the day after his New York debut ended with a torn achilles after four snaps, Aaron Rodgers threw for 167 yards and one score along with an interception.

 

We have a busy schedule and difficult travel for this opener, but we won’t make any excuses, stated Rodgers. “We’ll recover if we play better—both I and we must play better.

On Monday, Rodgers struggled to move freely in the pocket, but he did occasionally display the arm that has helped him earn four MVP awards with the Green Bay Packers. It was insufficient to defeat the 49ers, who overcame the absence of All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and outclassed the Jets defence, which is meant to be the team’s strong suit in the trenches.

Undrafted in 2022, Mason more than made up for it in his first career start, helping San Francisco dominate the ball with a good offensive line performance and his muscular rushing style. The 49ers were led to victory by Deebo Samuel, who scored a two-yard touchdown run, and Jake Moody, who tied the franchise record with six field goals.

Lacking standout edge rusher Haason Reddick, Brock Purdy passed for 231 yards without any touchdowns or turnovers against a Jets defence that produced minimal pressure.Around halftime on Monday, the Niners, who made it to the Super Bowl the previous season, gained command of the contest. After an 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a field goal, they scored on an 11-play, 5-yard run by Mason to begin the second half. As a result, the Jets’ lead grew from 13 to 23 points, with just one kneel-down play made throughout that time.