3 San Francisco 49ers who need to thrive on Monday Night Football vs. Jets

The 49ers open up their 2024 campaign at home in prime time against the Jets, and these three players will need to shoulder the load.

The last time the San Francisco 49ers played a meaningful game that wasn't nationally televised was way back in Week 18 a season ago, a relatively inconsequential affair against the Los Angeles Rams.

Since then, head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad has known only primetime games, including last February's Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Now, the Niners open up their 2024 campaign at home against quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, closing out what should be an epic opening week of NFL action.

Considering both teams' Super Bowl aspirations, getting off to the right kind of start is vital. Particularly for San Francisco, which aims to avoid the proverbial Super Bowl "hangover" that often haunts the league's runner-ups on a yearly basis.

Such a quality start is contingent on players, meaning these three 49ers will want to be at their best when the bright lights of Monday night turn on.

No. 1: Quarterback Brock Purdy

After yet another season full of doubters' takes, third-year quarterback Brock Purdy aims to do one better in 2024 after contending for league MVP a season ago.

Granted, Purdy will have his usual supporting cast of stars, so an excellent outing in Week 1 won't exactly silence critics. But those same critics will observe how he goes toe to toe with Rodgers in a classic "old versus new" showdown between the rising Purdy and the twilight-era Gang Green signal-caller.

Rodgers, of course, missed all but a handful of snaps last season after suffering a torn Achilles in Week 1, meaning he'll have his own motivations for beating his boyhood team.

Purdy, meanwhile, will be under all kinds of scrutiny if he's not outperforming the future Hall of Famer in front of a national audience.

No. 2: Right guard Dominick Puni

Rookie offensive lineman Dominick Puni claimed the starting right guard job out of training camp, and the Niners' Round 3 NFL Draft choice looked the part during both camp and in preseason action.

Going up against primarily against backups and third-stringers in exhibition games is one thing. Matching up against New York's vaunted defensive line will be another test entirely.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Jets D-line No. 1 in the league heading into 2024. And while this unit is still without edge rusher Haason Reddick, who remains a holdout, the remaining cast of players like defensive tackle Quinnen Williams on a snap-to-snap basis will be more than a daunting challenge for the first-year pro.

Puni will have to remain on his brief-but-promising trajectory in order to help keep Purdy upright.

No. 3: Cornerback Isaac Yiadom

Despite not seeing him for much of the preseason because of minor injury, veteran cornerback Isaac Yiadom is San Francisco's assumed No. 2 boundary cornerback opposite Charvarius Ward.

Related story: 3 potential problems 49ers need to fix before hosting Jets

Rodgers may opt not to target Ward too much in the game when he looks to connect with receivers like Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams, meaning Yiadom could see more than a fair share of targets over the course of Monday night.

Granted, Yiadom looked solid in training camp, suggesting the 49ers' defensive backfield might be the best it has been in some time, yet facing off against Rodgers and his potent crop of pass catchers will be another matter altogether.

Especially if one of those pivotal late-game moments winds up proving to be the difference between a Week 1 Niners win or loss.

San Francisco and New York square off on Monday, Sept. 9 from Levi's Stadium.

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