The SF 49ers convincingly beat the NY Jets 31-13 but ended up losing quite a bit. Niner Noise hands out position grades and analyzes the team’s performance.
Entering Week 2, the SF 49ers were already dealing with several injuries, placing cornerback Richard Sherman on short-term injured reserve, managing a new injury for defensive end Dee Ford, and dealing with an injured tight end, George Kittle, from last week. The team was depleted and, after a disappointing loss to a division rival in Week 1, was looking for a game to correct their issues.
Especially on offense.
In some ways, the Niners got what they wanted. The offense looked crisp, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo looked poised, and the defense played well. Yes, it was the New York Jets, but any momentum is positive momentum.
However the story of this game and the reason why, despite the one-sided 31-13 win, no SF 49ers fan is happy, are injuries.
Defensive end Nick Bosa got carted off the field after twisting his knee, a devastating injury that doesn’t look good at all. Solomon Thomas got injured and was carted off on the same series, and both players are feared to have torn their ACLs, effectively ending their seasons. Running back Raheem Mostert dealt with a knee injury that put him out after the first half, and Garoppolo got his legs cut under him, giving him a high-ankle sprain and taking him out of the game after halftime, and likely out for Week 3, to.
Some of those injuries are incredibly severe, others are less severe, but they all continue the trend of the Niners losing the war of attrition with player after player succumbing to the injury bug.
The game itself was quite satisfying to watch, though. The offense came right out the gate with a bang, scoring on a Mostert 80-yard touchdown scamper. From there, it was a steady trend for the first half with the SF 49ers offense moving down the field slowly and methodically for a score, and the Niners defense slowly giving up points before making timely stands.
Once the injuries took their toll, the second half was a much more dismal game. The offense had flashes when fellow tailback Jerick McKinnon took the ball, including a touchdown run. But by and large, both teams seemed content to get out of the game as healthy as they could be.
Though the injuries were a massive toll on the team, the SF 49ers overall performance was close to stellar.
Niner Noise hands out position grades from what happened.