Run Defense Emerges as Area of Concern for New York Jets

After the loss to the San Francisco 49ers, is the run defense for the New York Jets an area to be concerned about?

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) greets San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) after a game at Levi's Stadium. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The wait was finally over for the New York Jets, as they started off the 2024 season against the San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, it did not go well. 

Despite having a lead for a little while early in the game, the Jets suffered a 32-19 loss, and it felt a bit worse than that. The 49ers are without a doubt a team that is going to be a Super Bowl contender once again this season, as they have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. 

What is slightly discouraging for New York is that they lost to San Francisco without Christian McCaffrey. Just prior to the start of the game, McCaffrey was ruled out with a calf injury, and it looked like the Jets had an excellent opportunity to steal one on the road. 

Despite arguably the best player being out, New York was unable to capitalize against the 49ers. 

While all eyes were on Aaron Rodgers, it was the Jets’ defense that might have been the biggest storyline, and not for a good reason. 

In the loss, the run defense for New York looked pretty awful, as San Francisco dominated the line of scrimmage and controlled the clock and the game. The balanced attack from the 49ers resulted in 32 points, and they might have exposed a flaw for the Jets in Week 1. 

Not being able to stop the run was a bit of an issue for New York last season, as while their defense overall is very good, that was arguably the weakness of the unit. Last year, the Jets were toward the bottom half of the league in rushing yards allowed, as they allowed 2108 yards on the ground. However, teams only averaged 4.1 yards per carry against them, as the high amount of yards allowed was thought to be more situational because of teams playing with leads last year. 

Furthermore, in Week 1, 49ers running back Jordan Mason absolutely destroyed New York’s run defense, as he totaled 147 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and averaged 5.3 yards per carry. 

The Jets didn’t tackle well, and it really looked like they didn’t like getting punched in the mouth by the physical running from Mason. 

As New York gets ready for Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, they will have to sure up their run defense, as Tennessee will likely try to have a physical running attack against the Jets as well.