Injuries are never celebrated in football. That being said, the New York Jets may get an easier path to a 1-0 start to the 2024 NFL season against the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in Week 1.
The 49ers are one of, if not the toughest opponent that the Jets will face during the upcoming campaign. New York has not squared off against San Francisco since their 23-17 Week 14 win in 2016. Both ball clubs have completely different fabrics heading into 2024, and for the Niners, contributors like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk have been the backbone of their fringe-championship-level offense. However, two of them may be sidelined when the season opens up on Sept. 9.
The Jets could face the 49ers without Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk
The 49ers are facing a serious handicap against the Jets. The reigning NFL Rushing Yards Leader McCaffrey is hampered with a calf injury and the Niners’ leading receiver from last year, Aiyuk, demanded a trade in the offseason that could see him get dealt. Ralph Ventre of The Sporting News shared this quote from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan regarding McCaffrey’s injury status:
“Christian has a calf strain, did it a couple days ago. It’s alright. He didn’t pull it or anything, but you guys probably won’t see him this preseason,” Shanahan said on Tuesday.
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Jets may not have to contain 1,000-yard contributors in Week 1
McCaffrey could suit up against the Jets, as he has over four weeks before he’s set to take the field at home in the season opener. The California native put up 1,459 rushing yards and 14 rushing TDs last time out. That output was invaluable to the Niners’ attack and could cause Kyle Shanahan to run a more pass-heavy offense in the game should McCaffrey be given more time to recover.
As for Aiyuk, the soon-to-be five-year veteran outpaced all of his teammates with 1,342 receiving yards on the previous campaign. He added a team-leading seven REC TDs to their attack. Albeit, San Francisco has been in talks with multiple teams about a potential trade for the reigning Second-Team All-Pro receiver.
The Niners do have a deep team, but their leading pass-catcher and ball-carrier bring potency to their team that can’t be replicated. Additionally, the Jets’ front seven, led by First-Team All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, and their secondary, spearheaded by top cornerback Sauce Gardner, are ready to stifle opponents in 2024, regardless of who gets put out on the field against them. The Jets may get on the board with a win to give them momentum into their easiest four-game stretch of the season between Weeks 2 and 5.
