49ers vs. Jets: Key moments from San Francisco’s beatdown of New York
The injury hits for the 49ers continued in the first half against the Jets Sunday. But the team played a much cleaner game than last week’s season opening loss to the Cardinals and improved to 1-1 with a 31-13 thumping of New York.
The bigger news than the outcome for the defending NFC champs were all the injuries. We run through those, and how the game went in our running recap below.
First quarter
The 49ers couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. They received the opening kickoff and running back Raheem Mostert screamed around the right corner and scored an 80-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, giving him touchdowns in his last eight regular season games. He scored a 76-yard receiving touchdown in the first quarter last week.
San Francisco’s defense then forced a Jets punt on the first series, which included stopping the team’s all-time leading rusher, Frank Gore, on a third-and-short.
The 49ers went three and out after failing to convert another third down when Jimmy Garoppolo took a sack by defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, whom the team passed over in the draft to take Nick Bosa in 2019. Garoppolo awkwardly twisted his right leg as he fell before limping off the field.
Then the 49ers were dealt another potentially serious injury blow. Midway through the first quarter, star defensive end Nick Bosa was carted off the field with an apparent left leg injury. Making things worse, Solomon Thomas, a possible replacement, was carted off the field also with a leg injury two snaps later.
Rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk, making his debut after missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury, made his first career reception when he helped a scrambling Garoppolo convert the team’s first third down near the end of the first quarter.
Aiyuk appeared to step in front of Kendrick Bourne to make the grab after Garoppolo was flushed from the pocket. It came after Mostert had another long rushing touchdown negated by a holding penalty on right tackle Mike McGlinchey.
Second quarter
Tight end Jordan Reed, in place of George Kittle, converted another third down with an 11-yard completion inside field goal range. The 49ers didn’t convert a single third down in the first half of last week’s game.
Reed helped San Francisco extend its lead to 14-3 with an 18-yard touchdown, his first since Nov. 18, 2011, with Washington.
It capped a 14-play drive. Garoppolo, who was noticeably gimpy on his right ankle, began the game 8-for-8 for 77 yards with a near-perfect 146.4 passer rating.
The 49ers’ debilitated got a much-needed boost later in the quarter when they stopped the Jets on a fourth-and-short inside their own territory. Linebacker Fred Warner knifed into the backfield to stop running back Josh Adams for a loss, giving San Francisco the ball back.
The 49ers marched down the field on the following drive, and were helped by a third-down late hit on Garoppolo, and Garoppolo found Reed for a second touchdown with 11 seconds remaining in the quarter.
The 49ers hit the break having converted 6-of-7 third downs after converting on just 11 percent of their attempts last week.
Garoppolo hit the locker room early, presumably to get treatment on his right ankle. His first half stats were impressive nonetheless. He completed 14 of 16 for 131 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 140.4 passer rating.
Third quarter
The injury news kept getting worse for the 49ers. Garoppolo was ruled out of the game at halftime as the FOX broadcast reported he had X-rays on his ankles at halftime. Additionally, Mostert, who often practices with a bulky brace on his right leg, was ruled out with a knee injury.
Backup signal caller Nick Mullens was inserted into the game. After a sack and a false start, the 49ers were able to convert a third-and-31 from their 10-yard line with a 55-yard run from Jerick McKinnon through the right side of a miserable Jets defense.
The drive stalled and Robbie Gould made a 46-yard field goal that banged off the right upright and through. It gave San Francisco a 24-3 lead.
Mullens was later hit as he threw and missed McKinnon, who batted the ball in the air, allowing cornerback Pierre Desir to make an interception and return it to the 49ers’ 22-yard line.
San Francisco’s defense held, and Jets settled for a 25-yard field goal to make it 24-6. New York coach Adam Gase, for some reason, decided against going for a touchdown to make it a two-score game. It remained a three-score contest with the decision to kick.
Fourth quarter
McKinnon put together another impressive run to give San Francisco a 31-6 lead. He broke through the left side of the Jets’ lackluster defense for a 16-yard score out of shotgun. It was McKinnon’s second touchdown of the season after having a receiving score in last week’s game.
The score gave McKinnon 77 yards on just three carries.
The 49ers forced another turnover on downs the following series. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, to this point, was averaging just 4.3 yards per attempt while completing 14 of 24 for 103 yards. The defensive line, without Bosa and Dee Ford, still managed to control the game up front.
Battered and tattered by injuries, San Francisco subbed out most of the remaining healthy starters for the remainder of the game.
This story was originally published September 20, 2020 at 11:24 AM.
