4 heroes to salute from 49ers' dominant Week 1 win vs. Jets

The Week 1 finale on Monday Night Football did not disappoint. Despite the San Francisco 49ers being down 7-3 after the first quarter, the Super Bowl hopefuls did not look back after responding with 23 unanswered points against quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the visiting New York Jets.

Running back Christian McCaffrey was a late scratch due to a lingering calf injury, which cast doubts on whether or not the Niners could pull off a win against a tough defense. Yet quarterback Brock Purdy and Co. still had plenty of firepower to pick up where they left off last regular season as one of the league's offenses (and defenses).

Still, the five-time NFL champions walked away with a 32-19 victory over the Jets. And it was a dominant outing on both sides of the ball.

While this was a total team effort, let's look at four of the biggest contributors to the win on Monday night.

4. 49ers defense

Aside from the garbage-time stat pick-ups from Jets reserve quarterback Tyrod Taylor, the 49ers were dominant on the defensive end of the ball. San Francisco forced a fumble and an interception.

Newcomer Leonard Floyd recorded his first quarterback takedown as a member of the 49ers when he sacked Rodgers. The veteran defensive end has logged at least nine sacks in each of his last four seasons between his time with the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills, so getting off to a hot start with his new team is a good sign.

Floyd has not missed a regular-season game since 2017. His durability should prove to be an asset to an already skilled Niners defense that has seen its fair share of injuries the last couple of seasons.

The fifth-year linebacker, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, snagged his first career interception. The 28-year-old veteran picked off Rodgers' pass, one intended for wide receiver Garrett Wilson, at midfield before the end of the second quarter. This led to San Francisco's first touchdown in the game.

Fellow linebacker Fred Warner also had a big game, boasting seven total tackles, including five solo ones. One of the mainstays the past few seasons helped provide pressure and limit the Jets' offensive production.

San Francisco allowed an NFC-best 17.5 points per game during 2023. That is not far off from the mark the 49ers met in their first win of the new season.

Collectively, the Niners allowed only 266 total years, almost 38 yards better than last year's average. They limited the Jets to just under 200 yards passing and under 70 yards rushing.