3 winners (and 3 losers) from the NY Jets' Week 1 loss to the 49ers

The NY Jets were unable to secure a win in their season opener on Monday, falling by a final score of 32-19 to the San Francisco 49ers. Aaron Rodgers' return to the gridiron didn't exactly go as planned for the Jets.

While Rodgers had his moments, the Jets as a whole fell well short of expectations and were decisively beaten by their opponents on national television. But not everyone on the team emerged from the game as a loser.

Let's take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from the Jets' Week 1 loss to the 49ers.

Winner: Aaron Rodgers, QB, NY Jets

The Jets' offense had its share of ups and downs on Monday night, but Aaron Rodgers mostly looked like Aaron Rodgers. No, he'll likely never have the same mobility and escapability that he once did, but the arm talent is still there.

Rodgers' meager box score numbers don't tell the full story. The four-time MVP made several big-time throws and finished as Pro Football Focus's fifth-best quarterback in Week 1. He was the best player on the field for the Jets on Monday.

Loser: NY Jets defensive line

The Jets' vaunted defense line, long seen as one of the strengths of this roster, was a problem on Monday. Without Haason Reddick, the Jets struggled to apply pressure on Brock Purdy and got bullied in the run game by backup running back Jordan Mason.

The Jets allowed eight consecutive scoring drives and nearly 40 minutes of possession to their opponents largely due to their inability to win up front. Jermaine Johnson, Micheal Clemons, Will McDonald, and the team's entire edge-rush rotation looked overmatched by a mediocre (outside of Trent Williams) 49ers offensive line.

If the Jets are going to reach their ceiling in 2024, they're going to need their defensive line to be better — with or without Reddick.

Winner: NY Jets pass protection

While the Jets may have struggled to run the ball behind a shaky run-blocking performance, the team's offensive line held up quite well in pass protection.

Rodgers was only pressured on 26.7% of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. Although it may be a low bar to clear, that's the second-best performance by a Jets offensive line in the team's last 17 games.

The Jets allowed just one sack and two total QB hits throughout the game. That's an incredibly encouraging debut for this new-look Jets offensive line against a talented 49ers pass rush.

Loser: Malachi Corley, WR, NY Jets

The Jets' rookie class was essentially nonexistent on Monday, and perhaps the most concerning absence was Malachi Corley. Corley was on the field for just one snap the entire game and didn't play special teams at all.

The Jets hyped up Corley all offseason and believed he could win the starting slot receiver job immediately coming out of camp. Instead, he remains buried on the depth chart and doesn't have a role on offense or special teams at the moment.

This is a fairly weak Jets wide receiver room and their Day 2 rookie can't even see the field. There's no way around it — that's concerning.

Winner: Allen Lazard, WR, NY Jets

One wide receiver who did make the most of his snaps, however, was Allen Lazard. Lazard bounced back nicely from a brutal first-quarter drop and finished with a team-leading six catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns.

Much of Lazard's production came in the second half after the 49ers started keying in on Garrett Wilson, which is exactly what the Jets would want from their No. 2 wide receiver. And as long as Mike Williams remains on a snap count, that job is Lazard's to lose.

Lazard is doing his best to prove that he deserves a role in the Jets' offense moving forward. His redemption season is off to an excellent start.

Loser: NY Jets tackling

One of the biggest issues plaguing the Jets' defense on Monday night was the team's shoddy tackling. The Jets finished the game with a whopping 18 missed tackles, with as many as six different players recording multiple whiffs.

Sauce Gardner was the primary culprit, registering three missed tackles, while the likes of C.J. Mosley, D.J. Reed, Jamien Sherwood, Jermaine Johnson, and Tony Adams all tallied a pair each.

Six players on the Jets' roster finished with a PFF tackling grade of 30.0 or below. That's about as bad as it gets. The Jets need to clean up their tackling entering a Week 2 matchup with a Tennessee Titans team that rushed for 140 yards this past weekend.

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