49ers game grades: Rush defense, ground attack stellar in impressive win vs. Jets

The San Francisco 49ers kicked off their 2024 season against perhaps the best defense they will face all year, that of the New York Jets.

Facing former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, and former 49ers Javon Kinlaw, Solomon Thomas, and D.J. Reed, the Niners received bad news before Monday Night Football's kickoff that superstar running back Christian McCaffrey would miss the game due to a calf sprain.

The 49ers started off the game slow on offense and wayward on defense, with a forced fumble and a touchdown allowed in the first quarter.

But the rest of the game, the 49ers ground game dominated, with backup running back Jordan Mason in a spot start, leading the way to a comfortable 32-19 win.

Week 1 is never a good time to make broad-ranging claims about a team. After all, two years ago, San Francisco lost to the Bears in a monsoon, and it felt like the sky could have been falling. Well, the Bears finished with the first overall pick, while the 49ers made it to the NFC Championship game. Even further back, then-head coach Jim Tomsula's 2015 Niners started 1-0 with a dominant showing, and that season is one most fans want to forget.

There are no major takeaways from a Week 1 game other than San Francisco won, but there might be nuggets of gold to glean for the future.

And just like the 49ers are starting a new season, the grades will be new as well. Instead of handing out letter grades, the team will get "points" out of 10, which will be added week to week to show the teams' trends.

With that all said, time to jump into the grades.