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Jets’ Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall: 49ers ‘crushed us’ and ‘just played harder’ | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 09: Wide receiver Garrett Wilson #5 (C) of the New York Jets comes out of the tunnel with teammates before the second half of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on September 9, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall didn’t think there was any doubt about their team’s 32-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Monday night football.

Wilson acknowledged that the Jets “aren’t there yet” and that the 49ers “gave us a beating today.”

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“They beat us up today and that’s the reality. We have to find a way to get better. The great teams will recover from this and that’s what we plan to do.”

– Garrett Wilson pic.twitter.com/BNu9lgYouV

Hall struck a similar tone when he said San Francisco “just played harder than us” and was an example of the level at which New York must perform.

To say Monday’s game was a reality check for the Jets would be a bit of an understatement, as many were questioning their championship credentials. They were 13th in Bleacher Report’s NFL power rankings entering Week 1.

It was New York’s performance in particular that reinforced existing concerns.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 13 of 21 plays for 167 yards, one touchdown and an interception in his first start since torn his Achilles tendon.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini dug deeper into the numbers.

“On passes of 10 yards or less, he completed just five of 12 passes for 46 yards and an interception (not counting designed screens),” Cimini wrote. “He finished the day with a 10.7% completion percentage below expectation, his worst performance since 2021 — the third of his four MVP seasons.”

The offense spent just 21:20 on the field after finishing 25th in possession in 2023. Losses were another theme that ran throughout last year, as Hall lost a fumble and Rodgers made an interception.

The Jets’ biggest surprise was an unpleasant one. Their defense, which was among the NFL’s best a season ago, gave up 401 yards and allowed San Francisco’s backup running back to regularly slice and dice the unit. Jordan Mason had 147 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

There’s no reason to panic after one game. New York clearly has some shortcomings it needs to iron out if it wants to live up to the ambitions it initially set for itself when it brought Rodgers in last summer.