While there are 16 happy fanbases and 16 unhappy fanbases (some unhappier than others... sorry, Carolina) in the NFL right now, one thing that all the fanbases will surely be doing is overreacting to Week 1, both good and bad.
For those of us of a San Francisco 49ers disposition, though, there's the opportunity to have some happy overreactions, particularly after the dominant way the team handled its business in its season opener against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, even while missing several key players.
Let's take a look at some overreactions.
49ers run defense is fixed
Praise be! Those of you who watched several average-to-good running backs make the Niners defensive line look like mincemeat last season -- despite the high contract value being paid to the starting four and most of the four behind them -- need worry no more.
The Jets could only average 3.6 yards per running play, with new addition Maliek Collins already looking like everything the 49ers have been missing since D.J. Jones left town some years ago. While Collins didn't stuff the stat sheet, he was active and around the ball all night, and the Jets interior offensive line didn't have an answer for the push he and his interior defensive linemates generated.
All in all, San Francisco looked active, energised, and most importantly, decisive, against the run, from the first snap to the last. It looked like night and day from last season.
One possible reason for that might have been the defensive line splits: They looked noticeably less aggressive than last season, and there seemed to be a lot less "thinking" and more "reacting" in general across the field.
"All gas, no brakes" might be truly back in San Francisco.
Hey, it might have been even better if NFL refs would occasionally call holding on Nick Bosa.
Deommodore Lenoir might be an All-Pro (and even harder to keep)
Hear me out on this one. Everyone knows how good cornerback Charvarius Ward is -- that's not up for debate -- but fellow corner Deommodore Lenoir shone again under the bright lights of Monday Night Football.
Like most of the defense, he struggled on the Jets' opening touchdown drive, although it's difficult to know what he could've done differently on one particular pass to wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
At that position, though, you have to have a short memory, and after that disappointment, Lenoir produced a solid game, with a couple of notable plays in coverage. Despite being often targeted, he played very well, and shows that there may actually be no weakness in this 49ers secondary this season.
Lenoir has incentive to play well, too; his contract is up at the end of the season, along with secondary mate Ward, and he's in line to cash in, particularly if he does continue to play at an All-Pro level.
Dominick Puni is already 49ers' second-best offensive lineman
This one doesn't need a lot of explaining, particularly given the consensus is that the 49ers offensive line is, at best, a work in progress.
A particularly rough start to the game in pass protection, particularly for veterans Jake Brendel and Colton McKivitz, proved this further. At times, it's hard to understand the 49ers stated philosophy at the position, given the jitters it often causes in the middle of games.
However, the line did bounce back, particularly in the run game, in the second half. As the game went on, though, one lineman stood above the others: the newest face to the team, third-round rookie, Dominick Puni.
The best thing you can say about rookies is they look like they belong on an NFL field, and Puni passed that with flying colours. It seems hard to believe that there was ever any worries about his inexperience, particularly given this was offensive line coach Chris Foerster's well-documented hang-up on potentially starting him when the so-called "bright lights" came on.
Puni was solid in pass protection, but he might have even been better leading the way for running back Jordan Mason, who had a fantastic outing running between the tackles.
Perhaps most notable was his blocks to spring Mason for a touchdown, as Kyle Posey of Niner Nation pointed out.
This was a fantastic effort by Puni, and given the doubts and criticism around all his linemates bar Trent Williams (who mostly looked like he had never been away from football), he's probably already firmly the 49ers' No. 2 offensive lineman.
Watching his development is going to be fun.
Jordan Mason has solidified his role and bought more carries
This isn't really an overreaction, but it bears repeating.
When news filtered through that All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey would be out, many 49ers fans suddenly felt much worse about the team's chances in the season opener.
I wasn't sure why, as I tweeted prior to kickoff:
Obviously the 49ers will miss RB Christian McCaffrey, that goes without saying, but I'm a bit confused at the idea that some sort of Scott Hatteberg is playing instead. Think Jordan Mason will be fine.
— John Porter (@jporterdoes) September 9, 2024
It turns out, of course, that Jordan Mason was more than fine. He was fantastic: 147 yards on 28 carries, averaging over 5 yards a carry, and a touchdown (which realistically, should've been two, but for a terrible holding call on wide receiver Deebo Samuel).
Moreover, Mason was excellent as a pass blocker, and even found time to catch a pass as well.
He's not McCaffrey ( few are) but after an offseason where the Niners'acquisitions and draft picks threatened to push him to the roster bubble, Mason's ability to beat out the oft-injured Elijah Mitchell, show progress throughout training camp and the preseason, and now solidify that in a game the whole country was watching, has sealed his role on the team.
Mason hits holes hard, decisively, and with power. He's the perfect running back for the Kyle Shanahan zone-blocking system, and as it stands at the moment, there are oceans between him and other backup running backs like Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr.
The third-year pro likely to start Week 2 versus the Minnesota Vikings, given McCaffrey's health, and even without that, Mason has easily earnt a role now where he's going to get the ball on a regular basis. In 2022 and 2023, Mason found himself nicknamed "The Closer" for his bruising runs to finish out games.
On Monday, he flashed starting pitcher potential, too.
Brandon Aiyuk is a problem
OK, so we do have to end on one downer. The 49ers aren't the Harlem Globetrotters, after all.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk hasn't practiced all summer (you might have heard about why). No one expected him to come back and be straight at All-Pro level immediately, but his drop off in performance was somewhat alarming.
He caught two passes for 28 yards, but was targeted five times. Even the catches he did make were not the most convincing, being a couple of bobbled body catches, although at least one was a vital third down.
His drops, however, were pretty awful. One was a drive killer, while another took away what would've been an incredible touchdown throw by quarterback Brock Purdy and drew the ire of a well-known Hall of Fame personality.
As it was, the 49ers didn't need him to blow past a largely woeful Jets team, but they definitely will moving forward, particularly in the titanic battles that loom with larger teams, such as their nemesis, the Kansas City Chiefs.
While it's just rust for now, Aiyuk needs to knock it off quickly. Any continuations of this poor performance over the next few weeks will lead to concerns that his elongated holdout could have a significant impact on his production this season.
Not what the 49ers will be looking for after committing so much money to him.
What are your personal overreactions to the 49ers' Week 1 win?