You never want to start off the season on the wrong foot, but that is where the Jets find themselves after getting blown out by the San Francisco 49ers 32-19 on Monday Night.
Losing to the 49ers in California is not the end of the world. As Robert Saleh said, "that's a championship outfit and they introduced us to some championship football.” Taking a loss on the road to start the season from the team that was in the Super Bowl last year is nothing to be concerned about, but the way the Jets lost is what should be concerning. Even more concerning is the defense was the problem.
The Jets entered week one with all eyes on their offense and the return of Aaron Rodgers, and for the most part, the offense was okay. There was some good things and some bad things for the Jets on that side of the ball. Everyone was so focused on what Rodgers and co. were going to do not realizing that the defense could possibly be the issue.
The 49ers ran 38 times for 180 yards without their All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey who was sidelined with a calf injury. The utter dominance by the 49ers’ run game allowed quarterback Brock Purdy to be relaxed and throw for an efficient 231 yards on 29 attempts.
After watching the game film, Saleh doesn’t seem to be too worried about the state of his defense saying, “I know we’re going to get the defense fixed.”
Saleh might have total confidence in his ability to coach a defense, and I do believe he has earned the benefit of the doubt in that regard, but I think he is also being a little naïve to the issues surrounding his team. They are thin along the defensive line, and I’m not just talking about depth wise.
The Jets are missing some stout interior defensive linemen. Watching the game on Monday we saw the 49ers able to run at will and in any direction they wanted. Most embarrassing for the Jets is when they ran directly up the middle of the defense. The Jets plan to rotate a string of pass rushers backfired as the 49ers took advantage of the size difference and simply mauled the Jets into submission.
Perhaps the biggest mismatch was when 2023 first round pick Will McDonald was on the field. McDonald looked like a boy amongst men. McDonald is a situational player and any time the situation may include a straight ahead run, isn’t his his situation.
McDonald wasn’t the only one who was manhandled. Everyone along the defensive line was overmatched by a 49ers offensive line that outside of Trent Williams, is mediocre. Jayln Holmes, Javon Kinlaw, Takk McKinley and Solomon Thomas all looked overmatched at some point during the game.
Saleh may believe that the defense will get fixed, but this time he may not have the horses he thinks he does. The Jets next three games are all against teams who will rely heavily on the run game to generate offense, and the Jets might find themselves in some dog fights instead of some easy victories.
I am concerned, but at this point there is no need to panic. As of now, all the Jets did was lose on the road to a very tough opponent. But to paraphrase the great Yogi Berra, it could get late early for the Jets if they aren’t able to slow down the run.
