Aaron Rodgers’ return on Monday night did not go quite according to plan.
The San Francisco 49ers rolled over Rodgers and the New York Jets on Monday night to end the opening week of the 2024 NFL season. The 49ers took a clear 32-19 victory at Levi’s Stadium, even without star running back Christian McCaffrey, who was taken out of the game about an hour and a half before kickoff due to a calf injury.
San Francisco went into halftime with a 16-7 lead, thanks to three deep field goals by Jake Moody and a 2-yard touchdown run by Deebo Samuel Sr. in the second quarter. It could have been more, but 49ers star receiver Brandon Aiyuk dropped a very catchable touchdown pass just before halftime — something that extremely frustrated Peyton Manning on ESPN 2.
The 49ers quickly scored another 10 points in the third quarter thanks to a long 11-play drive that Jordan Mason capped with a 5-yard touchdown run. Rogers, who lasted just four plays last season before suffering an Achilles injury, threw his first touchdown pass of the game late in the third quarter. He tossed his former Green Bay Packers teammate Allen Lazard right down the middle for a 36-yard touchdown pass after drawing an offside call. It was his first touchdown pass in more than 600 days.
But Moody made two field goals in the fourth quarter, giving him six field goals on the night, to keep the Jets at bay and lead San Francisco to a 13-point victory. The Jets scored one final touchdown in the final minute, with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Rodgers was replaced in the final minutes after the Jets threw in the towel.
Brock Purdy completed 19 of 29 passes for 231 yards for the 49ers in the win. Mason, who filled in for McCaffrey, ran for 147 yards and scored a touchdown on 28 attempts. Jauan Jennings had five catches for 64 yards.
Rogers completed 13 of 21 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Jets. Breece Hall, who scored in the first half, had 54 rushing yards on 16 carries. Lazard finished with a game-high 89 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six catches.
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