It took all of one play for Jets' defensive game plan to go kaput
Raheem Mostert #31 of the San Francisco 49ers runs the ball enroute to a touchdown on the first play of a game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sep. 20, 2020. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Jets talked all week about limiting the 49ers’ explosive plays. Then why did San Francisco’s first play from scrimmage go boom?
Raheem Mostert took a handoff from Jimmy Garoppolo and ran down the right sideline 80 yards untouched into the end zone. Seventeen seconds into the game and the Jets were losing.
It was a terrible way to start what became a non-competitive game as the Jets fell to 0-2 with a 31-13 defeat in their home opener at MetLife Stadium.
"Obviously, we did not play the game we needed to play," coach Adam Gase said. "We needed to eliminate all the explosive plays on defense. We didn’t do that."
At least it didn’t take them long.
"This has to stop," an emotional linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. "There hasn’t been any progress. We need to do it now."
The Jets went into the game with a banged-up offense. Perhaps their only hope was to stop the 49ers’ offense, which was without injured All-Pro tight end George Kittle.
To add insult and injury, the Niners rolled up 21 points in the first half despite Garoppolo suffering a high ankle sprain on the second series when he was sacked by Quinnen Williams.
Even with Garoppolo hobbling around, he still beat the Jets for two touchdown passes to tight end Jordan Reed before the quarterback was replaced by Nick Mullens to start the second half.
Before the second TD, which came with 11 seconds left in the first half, defensive end Henry Anderson was called for roughing Garoppolo, negating a third-down stop.
Garoppolo was 14-for-16 for 131 yards. Mullens was 8-for-11 for 71 yards and an interception.
The Jets also allowed a 67-yard would-be TD run to Mostert that was negated by a 49ers holding penalty. After Mostert got hurt, too, backup Jerick McKinnon ran 55 yards on third-and-31 from the Jets’ 11 in the third quarter. That drive led to a field goal. McKinnon scored San Francisco’s final touchdown on a 16-yard scamper in the fourth.
The Jets gave up 359 yards of offense, 182 of them on the ground and 177 in the air.
"We got embarrassed," Jenkins said.
Just about the only positive plays for the defense were three sacks (two by Williams and one by Jenkins) and a third-quarter interception by Pierre Desir, who ran it back 23 yards to give the Jets the ball on the 49ers’ 22 trailing 24-3.
But the offense settled for a field goal.
Last week, the Jets were beaten by the Bills, 27-17, in a game that wasn’t as close as the score. Next week, they visit Philip Rivers and the 1-1 Colts.
"We haven’t shown progress," Jenkins said. "We’re either going to keep getting embarrassed or we’re going to respond."
Indianapolis, which allowed 2,500 fans into its home-opening, 28-11 victory over the Vikings on Sunday, has already announced it is going to allow 7,500 fans into the game against the Jets.
"Road game coming up," Jenkins said. "But it’s watch this film, get ready in practice and just do right. If it’s not your play to make – I don’t care if you think you can make it – don’t do it. Just do your job. That’s what it needs to be about. Doing the job."
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
