Tag: New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers

NFL Week 1: Can Jets’ Sauce Gardner shutdown 49ers’ WR Brandon Aiyuk?

All-pro defensive back Sauce Gardner knows that in week 1 he cannot allow San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to get loose.

The New York Jets ranked  No. 1 in the NFL in opponents pass yards allowed per game last season while playing in an AFC East division with some of the top passing offenses.

All-pro defensive back Sauce Gardner knows that in week 1 he cannot allow San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to get loose.

 

After strenuous hours of training throughout the summer, the Jets are ready to show the world why their defense continues to received so many accolades after 2023. Consider, their pass defense could be even more powerful seeing that they’ve spent countless hours getting reps against hall of fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Winning at the line of scrimmage will be very important for Aiyuk if he plans on shaking off the physical engagement Gardner likes to bring. Gardner is relentless at the point of attack often times forcing wide receivers to the sideline or jamming them at the line of scrimmage. Aiyuk is quick and nimble but he did miss most of training camp vying for a new contract.

After a huge pay day, Aiyuk must prove himself elite versus arguably the best cornerback in the NFL. Gardner and Aiyuk will be a matchup to watch for on Monday Night Football in week 1.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich should blitz QB Brock Purdy: Jets vs. 49ers

New York Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich must slow down 49ers TE George Kittle and assure that QB Brock Purdy doesn’t catch rhythm on in week 1.

New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be tasked with slowing down 49ers tight-end George Kittle and assuring that quarterback Brock Purdy doesn’t catch rhythm behind their home crowd.

With Jets’ defensive backs Sauce Gardner and D.J Reed on the outside, the 49ers will face a real challenge trying to get the pass game going outside the hashes.  Unlike many of the 49ers’ NFC west opponents, the Jets have the ability to play man coverage.

Ulbrich may be afforded many opportunities to blitz in this matchup and may send linebacker Quincy Williams or safety Chuck Clark in as additional pass rushers. Purdy, while accurate, has shown a history of difficulty versus the more physical defenses in the NFL. Especially when sacked multiple times in a game.

 

49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan loves to use lateral motion and pre-snap cheats to get his skill players in motion. Unfortunately for the 49ers,’ the Jets are much too talented and quick to lose on those generic drag & swing routes we’ve seen from Shanahan in the past. Ulbrich should lean on the physicality and speed of his defense to win at the line of scrimmage and dictate the pace on Monday Night Football.

Quincy Williams & CJ Mosley must cover TE George Kittle in Week 1: Jets vs. 49ers

The New York Jets will rely on LB Quincy Williams and CJ Mosley to slow down San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle in week 1.

The New York Jets will rely on linebackers Quincy Williams and CJ Mosley to slow down San Francisco 49ers tight-end George Kittle in week 1.

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Williams and Mosley will need to work collaboratively to neutralize Kittle on intermediate and underneath pass routes. With the aid of defensive end Jermaine Johnson and a tenacious pass rush, the Jets should have success halting the 49ers pass attack.

At six-foot two-inches and 231-pounds, Mosley has the size needed to be physical with Kittle at the line of scrimmage.  Williams on the other hand, possesses agility and quickness. which can interchangeably agitate 49ers’ running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Debo Samuel out of the backfield.

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On paper, the Jets matchup exceptionally well with the 49ers. When Jets’ defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will opts for the blitz, it will be interesting to see if 49ers’ quarterback Brock Purdy remains composed and accurate.  The tenacity of the Jets defense may yield some crucial turnovers in this matchup.

Williams and Mosley will be key components if the Jets are to prevail on  Monday Night Football in week 1.

Jets open 2024 season with Monday night trip to San Francisco

The Jets open in prime time again. Week 1, Monday night in San Francisco.

The Jets are back in prime time. For the second consecutive season, the Jets will open the season on Monday Night Football on September 9. This time, they’ll take a cross-country trip to meet the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. The team announced the game Tuesday.

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has plenty of history against the 49ers from his time with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers is 6-3 in the regular season against San Francisco but is 0-4 in the playoffs. This game will mark Rodgers’ official return to the field after tearing his Achilles during last season’s Monday night opener against the Buffalo Bills.

The game also marks Robert Saleh’s return to the Bay Area. Saleh was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017-2020 before becoming head coach of the Jets in 2021.

With Rodgers returning, the Jets are expected to have a handful of prime time games yet again as their schedule is loaded with prime matchups, including their divisional games plus matchups with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks out of the NFC West.

Brian Hoyer to visit Jets for backup QB job

The Jets are looking at 35-year-old Brian Hoyer to backup whichever rookie they draft.

The Jets appear locked in on a quarterback with the No. 2 pick, but that hasn’t stopped Joe Douglas from looking at a veteran to sit behind him.

Brian Hoyer, who played for the Patriots last year, is set to visit the Jets today, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He only appeared in one game in 2020, throwing for 130 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in a Week 4 loss to the Chiefs.

The 13-year veteran would play backup and mentor to the Jets’ rookie quarterback.

Hoyer has a few connections to the Jets. He started six games for the 49ers in 2017 when Mike LaFleur was the passing game coordinator and went 7-6 with the Browns in 2014 when LaFleur was an intern under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. If anything, Hoyer would be familiar with the offense the Jets will likely run in 2021 and would be a fine fill-in quarterback if necessary.

This wouldn’t be the first time the Jets courted Hoyer, either. They brought him in for a visit in 2016 as a fallback plan if contract negotiations with Ryan Fitzpatrick fell through. Hoyer ultimately signed with the Bears while the Jets signed Fitzpatrick, though neither quarterback performed well.

Right now, the Jets’ “plan” for QB2 is 2020 is fourth-round rookie James Morgan, who didn’t see the field once last year and wasn’t even activated for a game. Bringing in a veteran like Hoyer, who understands the offense already, would help bridge the gap between the playbook and the field for whichever rookie quarterback the Jets draft.

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USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings: Jets in dead last following Week 2 blowout

The New York Jets are ranked 32nd in USA Today’s latest NFL Power Rankings.

The Jets are in a league of their own at the bottom of the NFL’s totem pole.

USA TODAY released its NFL Power Rankings following the second week of games and the results for New York aren’t pretty. It has the Jets ranked 32nd — dead last — after dropping a 31-13 laugher to the 49ers in Week 2. Only the Giants were ranked worse after Week 1, but Gang Green’s no-show against a shorthanded San Francisco team helped Big Blue move up a spot despite also being 0-2.

Here’s USA TODAY’s explanation for the Jets’ ranking:

Despite facing San Francisco’s JV squad much of Sunday, New York showed scant fight in performance that should leave NYJ fans disheartened.

Excluding the play of OT Mekhi Becton, DL Quinenn Williams and New York’s special team’s unit, there weren’t many positives to take out of Sunday’s loss. Between a conservative gameplan and a defense that couldn’t stop the run or get off the field on third down, the game was over before halftime.

In the first two games of the season, the Jets have not looked up to par. Being outscored 58-30 across two weeks speaks to that. New York ranks 32nd in total offense, 31st in the running game, 30th in the passing game and 31st in scoring.

Adam Gase mentioned his struggling team needs to go into “hyperdrive” to improve, but the Jets will need a lot more than that if they want to dig themselves out of the bottom of the power rankings.

Jets LB Avery Williamson sees minimal action in first game since 2018

Avery Williamson returned to fold Sunday but wasn’t in the Jets starting lineup.

Avery Williamson returned to the fold Sunday but wasn’t in the Jets’ starting lineup.

After making his way back from an ACL injury that was suffered in August 2019, Williamson dealt with a hamstring injury that held him out of New York’s Week 1 matchup against Buffalo. On Sunday, however, Williamson made his first regular season appearance in green and white since 2018, when he compiled a career-high 120 combined tackles, three sacks, one interception, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles. His return, however, was not all that productive.

Williamson played sparingly in the Jets’ 31-13 loss, taking just 17 snaps on defense while tallying three tackles on the day. Neville Hewitt and Alec Ogletree, started up the middle, with Ogletree playing 33 of 59 defensive snaps.

Both Ogletree and Hewitt struggled mightily in controlling the 49ers’ run game and containing tight end Jordan Reed. The 49ers rushed the ball 29 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns, while Reed caught seven passes for 50 yards and two scores of his own.

This left many wondering why a healthy Williamson wasn’t getting more action, but it seems like the Jets weren’t fully ready to unleash one of their defensive leaders. Williamson was limited to special teams duties with some defensive snaps sprinkled in.

If he’s healthy, it’s likely that Willamson will be involved more in the Jets’ defensive game plan in next Sunday’s matchup against the Colts. Based on the performances of Ogletree and Hewitt, Williamson should get some more snaps.

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Quinnen Williams’ 2-sack afternoon makes him Jets Wire’s Player of the Game vs. 49ers

Williams was the lone bright spot of a Jets defense that looked underprepared, undisciplined, and outright overmatched.

Quinnen Williams was just about the only Jet that showed up for New York’s 31-13 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.

Williams was the lone bright spot of a Jets defense that looked underprepared, undisciplined and outright overmatched against San Francisco. So, with few other players to choose from, Williams is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game for Week 2.

Williams led the Jets defense with two sacks, the most he’s ever recorded in a game in his young NFL career. He also added seven total tackles, two of which were for a loss.

The 22-year-old said this past week that he expects a lot more out of himself after a disappointing opening game against the Bills. Williams said that he was going to be “unstoppable” before the season after he used the entire offseason to get his body in better shape.

Williams is certainly getting off the ball a lot quicker this season. He is making plays in the backfield against the run and when the quarterback drops back for a pass, as we saw on Sunday. It was his sack that hurt 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo and eventually knocked him out of the game.

Last season, Williams was hampered by an ankle injury that negatively impacted his play. He didn’t have that same explosiveness that people raved about during his time at Alabama. That’s what earned him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he hardly met expectations last year.

For Williams, the hope is that Sunday’s game will serve as a confidence booster. The Jets aren’t getting much out of their defense at the moment, so to have a legit pass rusher in Williams would certainly be a big relief going forward.

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Frank Gore kept quiet in matchup against his former team

Frank Gore didn’t get all wrapped up in facing his old team heading into Sunday’s game.

Frank Gore didn’t get all wrapped up in facing his old team heading into Sunday’s game, but the 49ers did keep him relatively quiet in a 31-13 win over the Jets.

Gore had 21 carries for 63 yards, an average of three yards per carry. In the passing game, Gore was targeted twice but failed to make a reception. Adam Gase certainly made utilizing Gore a point of emphasis, as it was his most rushes in a game since Week 17 in 2017. However, San Francisco has a strong defensive front that kept him at bay.

A lot of talk entering Sunday’s game had to do with Gore going up against his former team for only the second time since he departed San Francisco following the 2014 season. Gore spent 10 seasons in the Bay Area and is viewed as one of the best players in the history of the 49ers franchise. He also said this week that he plans on retiring as a 49er once he decides to call it a career.

“You got to understand, coming out of college: two ACLs, two shoulder [injuries],” Gore said, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. “Everybody wrote me off and wouldn’t draft me. They took the chance.”

Before Gore can do that though, he still has to finish this season with the Jets. While his first game back as a starting running back WITH nEW yORK didn’t go as planned, he’ll get at least two more cracks before Le’Veon Bell returns from injured reserve.

Jets HC Adam Gase ‘pissed off’ after loss to 49ers: ‘That [expletive] is no fun’

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase was “pissed off” following a dreadful performance by his team in its 31-13 loss Sunday.

Despite promises that things would change at One Jets Drive, it’s been more of the same for Adam Gase’s team so far this season.

Just days after Christopher Johnson gave Gase a vote of confidence, the Jets turned in an abysmal performance against a shorthanded 49ers team, losing 31-13 in a contest where they never had much of a chance.

“I’m pissed right now,” Gase said, per The Athletic’s Connor Hughes, following New York’s Week 2 loss. “That [expletive] is no fun going out there and getting your [expletive] beat.”

Sunday’s contest wasn’t exactly a grand old time for Gase as he was outcoached by Kyle Shanahan and his team was outplayed by a 49ers roster, which was mostly a skeleton crew of a team that went to the NFC Championship just a season ago. Outscored by 18 going into the locker room at halftime, the Jets returned and put up just 10 points on the board in the second half, with their lone touchdown coming in garbage time. The 49ers, absent both Jimmy Garoppolo and Raheem Mostert, still cruised to an 18-point victory.

Gase’s frustrations are valid, but a lot of his gripes are of his own doing. The Jets were overmatched against the 49ers not because of who was or wasn’t on the field, but because the playcalling was woeful yet again. In typical Gase fashion, he refused to shoulder the blame for his team’s offensive ineptitude, compounding the problem even further.

Unless Gase gets his act together and puts together an offensive gameplan that can lead to touchdowns, the Jets are going to continue to get embarrassed on a weekly basis. If that happens, Gase’s frustration levels are only going to mount.