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.
3. Running back Jordan Mason
With no disrespect to wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the 49ers' second-best rusher, third-year running back Jordan Mason stepped up huge as the premiere back for San Francisco in Christian McCaffrey's absence. Mason became a major hero for not only the run game but the offense as a whole.
Mason carried the ball 28 times and accumulated 147 yards while scoring the first points of the second half by either team. He also averaged 5.7 yards per attempt on Monday night.
With Elijah Mitchell already ruled out for the year with a hamstring issue, and rookie Isaac Guerendo recovering from his own injury, Mason stepped up big time. His largest gain on the ground was a 24-yard run.
His efforts led to the Niners offense's ability to move the chains and help put points on the scoreboard, something that San Francisco grew accustomed to last season as one of the league's best offenses.
Long term, the 49ers need McCaffrey. However, tonight, the Niners flexed their depth and were able to turn in one of the opening week's best running back performances, thanks to Mason.
2. Quarterback Brock Purdy (just not the 1st quarter)
In the first quarter, Brock Purdy struggled to connect on his passes, specifically to Deebo Samuel who was missed on three of his first-quarter targets. Yet, for the next three quarters of the game, San Francisco's hurler proved to be one of the night's many heroes.
By the second quarter, Purdy returned to form and was able to pull it together. His 22-yard throw to wide receiver Jauan Jennings on a 2nd-and-19 set the 49ers offense up in the red zone.
After starting 2-of-6 on his throws, Purdy would find his rhythm as he went 17 for his next 23 the rest of the game. He would finish with 231 yards and an average of 8 yards per completion.
Purdy did not turn over the ball once this game. He had at least four throws where he racked up at least 20 yards or more including a 34-yard haul by the 49ers' fullback, Kyle Juszczyk.
On the arm of the San Francisco quarterback, Purdy was responsible for half of the 49ers' 24 first downs. The team held possession of the football for over 38 minutes, 17 more minutes than New York.
1. Kicker Jake Moody
Fresh off of his rookie season, replacing legendary great Robbie Gould, kicker Jake Moody delivered for the Niners. His foot alone outscored the entire Jets offense 20-19.
Moody scored on six field goals and two extra points. The former Michigan Wolverine was perfect from everywhere Monday night, including his 51-yard and 53-yard field goals in the first half.
With great reason, Moody was selected as the first place kicker in the 2023 NFL Draft. He only missed one of his 61 extra-point attempts last year while putting 21 of his 25 field-goal attempts through the uprights (84 percent).
San Francisco would benefit from Moody's stellar evening with a pair of two more field goals in the fourth quarter. Becoming one of the NFL's best place kickers, Moody aided the 49ers to their fourth Week 1 performance of 30 points or more since 2019.
Even in a game where San Francisco's offense mustered to find the end zone just twice, the 49ers showed they can add to any lead with the trusted foot of Moody.
Monday night showed how special he and the 49ers could be this year again.