49ers cruise to costly 31-13 win over New York Jets

The San Francisco 49ers rebounded from a frustrating Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals with a one-sided victory over the New York Jets on Sunday, but the win may have come with a heavy cost that will be felt for the foreseeable future.

The 49ers ran away from the Jets 31-13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. in a game that saw the team lose running back Raheem Mostert and defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas due to knee injuries, while quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo took a hit to his right ankle that caused him to exit the game at halftime. The injuries weren't enough to put the 49ers in jeopardy against a Jets team that is proving to be one of the worst in the NFL, but where the 49ers go from here remains to be seen.

As It Happened

Things started off with a bang for the 49ers, who hit paydirt on the first offensive play of the game on a touchdown run from Mostert after receiving the opening kickoff. The call on the play was a toss to Mostert, who ran through a gaping hole on the right side of the Jets defense and down the sideline for an 80-yard score.

The excitement from Mostert's touchdown quickly turned to concern for the 49ers. After a failed possession from each team, one of which included the hit that resulted in Garoppolo's injured ankle, the Jets took over with 10:22 left in the first quarter and got on the board with a 41-yard field goal from Sam Ficken following a 13-play, 38-yard drive. The 49ers lost Bosa on a first-down running play late in the drive, then lost Thomas two plays later after he got tangled up with Jets offensive lineman George Fant.

The 49ers were able to respond on the following possession, with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo leading the offense on a 14-play, 67-yard scoring drive that culminated with a touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Reed that stretched the lead to 14-3. Garoppolo, who was hobbling throughout the drive, found Reed from 18 yards out for the oft-injured tight end's first touchdown since the 2018 season.

The shorthanded 49ers defense stepped up big on the next possession, holding the Jets on a fourth-and-one to halt an 11-play, 55-yard drive. The Jets decided to hand the ball to running back Josh Adams, who was stopped for no gain by 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley.

The 49ers cashed in on the turnover on downs with a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive, this one ending on another touchdown pass from Garoppoo to Reed with seconds to play in the half. Garoppolo found Reed from four yards out on a third-and-goal to put the 49ers up 21-3 and finish an effective half that saw him throw for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 14 of 16 passing despite continuing to struggle with his injured ankle.

Garoppolo was ruled out of the game at halftime, as was Mostert, whose knee injury occurred at a then-unspecified time. With Nick Mullens in at quarterback and Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman carrying the load at running back, the 49ers stretched their lead to 24-3 on their first possession of the second half after a 41-yard field goal from Robbie Gould capped off a seven-play, 40-yard drive. The highlight of the drive came from McKinnon, who broke free for a 55-yard run on a third-and-31 play from the 49ers' 11-yard line.

The 49ers held the Jets to a punt after four plays on the following possession but gave the ball back to the Jets when a third-down pass from Mullens was intercepted by cornerback Pierre Desir. The interception turned into a 25-yard field goal from Sam Ficken, which cut the 49ers' lead to 24-6.

The lead became 31-6 at the 10:24 mark in the fourth quarter when the 49ers finished a five-play, 77-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown run from McKinnon. The drive also featured a 24-yard pass from Mullens to Kendrick Bourne and a 13-yard pass from Mullens to rookie Brandon Aiyuk.

The Jets added a late score with 1:23 in the fourth quarter on a 30-yard strike from quarterback Sam Darnold to wide receiver Braxton Berrios. The 49ers ran out the clock from there, sealing their first win over the Jets since 2012 and their 11th in the 14-game series.

The win improves the 49ers' record to 1-1 on the season, but the main story from this game is obviously the injuries. The 49ers entered the game with an already long list of injured players that included wide receiver Deebo Samuel (foot), wide receiver Richie James (hamstring), tight end George Kittle (knee), center Weston Richburg (knee), defensive end Dee Ford (neck), defensive end Ronald Blair (knee), and cornerback Richard Sherman (calf), and now face the possibility of being without more key players for the weeks ahead. The team will practice in West Virginia this week before returning to MetLife Stadium next Sunday to face the New York Giants, who fell to 0-2 Sunday with a loss to the Chicago Bears and may be without running back Saquon Barkley, who reportedly suffered a torn ACL in the game.

The Jets, who fell to 0-2 on the season with the loss, also suffered their share of injuries in Sunday's game, including wide receiver Breshad Perriman (ankle), wide receiver Chris Hogan (ribs), and cornerback Quincy Wilson (concussion). The team headed into the game without running back Le'Veon Bell (hamstring) and wide receiver Jamison Crowder (hamstring). The Jets head to the road next week for a game against the Colts in Indianapolis.

Darnold finished with 179 yards and one touchdown on 21 of 32 passing for the Jets, while Mullens threw for 71 yards and one interception on eight of 11 passing for the 49ers. Leading the way on the ground was Mostert, who put up 92 yards on eight carries before leaving the game, while Gore chipped in 63 yards on 21 carries for the Jets. Hogan led the Jets in receiving with six catches for 75 yards, while Reed had seven catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns and Bourne had four catches for 67 yards for the 49ers.