49ers vs Jets Preview: Three things to watch for on Monday Night Football

Sep 8, 2024, 10:02 PM | Updated: Sep 9, 2024, 6:44 am

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 20: Players line up at the line of scrimmage during the second half of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 20, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

Here we go: 49ers vs. Jets on Monday Night Football.

The San Francisco 49ers close out the Week 1 slate of the 2024 regular season with a tasty matchup against the New York Jets. Headlined by the return of future hall-of-famer (and Cal alum) Aaron Rodgers, the Red & Gold will have their hands full out of the gate. But with a mostly returning squad from their Super Bowl run in 2023, the expectations are still sky high for the 49ers.

And that starts in Week 1 in front of a jam-packed Levi’s Stadium.

But before we get to kickoff, here are three things to watch for that could determine a win or loss for the 49ers against the Jets.

Workloads, Workloads, Workloads

Most of the talk surrounding the 49ers Week 1 is how much some players are going to play, mainly the ones that just returned to the practice field.

All-Pros Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk just had their first full practice weeks after sitting out almost all of the offseason and training camp. However, the latter was on hand at the 49ers’ facility, deciding to hold-in during contract talks. But, as we get closer to Monday Night, it appears the former will be getting his usual workload instead.

Trent Williams has shown no sign of being rusty despite staying at home the entire month of August. Maybe, that’s because of the position (offensive line), or it’s because of his longevity in the league. Nevertheless, Williams appears ready to resume a full plate of responsibility as he embarks on Year 15 in the NFL.

“Trent is Trent,” 49ers’ run-game coordinator Chris Foerster so eloquently put it this week.

As for Brandon Aiyuk, he may be on a snap count. Despite being in the building and looking fresh this week, coach Kyle Shanahan does not expect the star wide receiver to have his usual workload against the Jets.

Candidates expected to see an increase in snaps include Chris Conley, rookie Jacob Cowing and Ronnie Bell.

This story is WILD. 🤯

According to @JayGlazer, Brandon Aiyuk called off a trade to the Steelers in the eleventh hour to stay with the 49ers!

Kyle Shanahan told Aiyuk that he had to make a decision by the end of practice on the day the deal got done. Aiyuk chose to stay in San… pic.twitter.com/CAXBHXLOEO

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 8, 2024

The final player to watch for workload-wise is Talanoa Hufanga, is he is does suit up.

The former All-Pro safety is still ramping up from a torn ACL suffered last season. He has looked fresh on the field to this point, but, the 49ers have no reason to rush him back for the Jets game.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily too soon. I think he’s looked great. We’re just trying to be as safe as we can be with him, be smart with him,” Shanahan said about Hufanga. “We haven’t ruled him out, just in case of an emergency or anything. Which means that if we needed, if he needed to, he would be available. But we’re just trying to play it smart with him.”

The versatile safety is listed as doubtful for Monday night, likely meaning he will not be active. In turn, expect safeties George Odum and rookie Malik Mustapha to see an uptick Week 1.

Practice squad S Tracy Walker is also an option.

What does Aaron Rodgers have left in the tank?

The last time we saw Aaron Rodgers play football he lasted three snaps before suffering a devastating achilles tear that consequently tanked the Jets’ 2023 season. Now a year removed from that night in East Rutherford, what does Rodgers have left in the tank?

The Chico native is almost 41 years old, and really three years removed from a superstar-caliber campaign. Was his final year in Green Bay (2022) an indication of the eventual decline? Or, was it circumstantial?

There’s only one way to find out, and we will Monday night. But for now, the 49ers are acting like it’s the same ole’ Rodgers that has torched them over the past two decades.

The kicker is that you can’t tell how he’ll look, considering the limited tape of A-Rod with the Jets.

“We haven’t seen tape other than, you might see him throw once on TV or something when someone is at camp. I would assume he’s back to where he is, feeling great,” 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said this week. “His arm is his arm, as long as he can move, which I would think that he can. And he’s put himself in that position. He’s been getting a lot of reps at practice. I think he’s been ready. He came back so fast at that point last year…So I think we’re going to see his best.”

“That’s the best quarterback in the league.”

Isaac Yiadom is excited to face Aaron Rodgers after spending a season with him in Green Bay pic.twitter.com/C6Upy8SVI8

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) September 7, 2024

Rodgers has some help as well, with New York making massive upgrades on the offensive side of the football. Adding Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses at the tackle spots might be the biggest additions in order to keep the aging gunslinger upright.

Throw in playmakers Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams, the Jets are primed to make a run at the AFC East title in 2024.

Early Super Bowl LIX preview between the 49ers and Jets? We’ll see.

The First Career Start of Dominick Puni

It’s fair to say that the 49ers lost Super Bowl LVIII due to a porous offensive line. Should Spencer Burford pick up the blitz at the goal-line, Brock Purdy sees a wide-open Brandon Aiyuk and hits him for the go-ahead score.

Instead, they settled for three points and you know the rest.

Now entering a new season, the 49ers may have found their answer at right guard in Dominick Puni. And the funny thing is, it happened due to injury.

The 49ers lost both Burford and veteran Jon Feliciano during the preseason. That thrust the third-round pick into the spotlight, and he did not disappoint.

Puni put up three stellar showings in the preseason, allowing only two pressures on 58 pass-blocking snaps. The Kansas Jayhawk was also effective in the run game, trade making the “Puni Push” by forcing his running backs into the end zone at the goal-line.

Yes, it’s early and yes, it was the preseason. But, Puni has put in the work on the practice field and on game day to earn the opportunity ahead of him.

#49ers rookie Guard Dominick Puni left a great impression on Fred Warner during training camp 👏 pic.twitter.com/8l5lbnI7R8

— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) August 15, 2024

“I think I’ve said to you before that Puni is right in that basket with work done and Trent [Williams] as guys that really get football early,” Foerster stated recently.

It takes a lot for any coach, let alone a 49ers’ coordinator, to handle our praise as high as a hall-of-famer, but that’s how good Puni has looked so far.

The 49ers have valued consistency over everything in the trenches. If you have the raw physical traits, all they need is for the player to keep at it, learning along the way. That’s what Dominick Puni has done, attacking the 49ers’ playbook as soon as he got drafted.

Now five months later, the hard work on the practice field and in the film study seems to be paying off.

“I think it shows itself when you get thrown in there right away because of injuries. I think a lot of guys, not a lot, but just because you have success the first couple days doesn’t mean it’s going to stick…That’s why coaches say a lot, you don’t want to crown a guy too early because they can look great in the first couple days and once more situations come in, they get a little bit overwhelmed and they have to settle down a little bit,” Shanahan explained about rookies in regards to Puni.

“When he got in, he looked really good at first and didn’t look overwhelmed and you’re just kind of waiting for it to happen and it never did happen. The practice has stayed that way and then it carried over to the preseason game. He’s been very consistent so far, but this is the first real game coming up and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him. I don’t see why anything would change.”

Score Prediction: 49ers 27, Jets 20