The 49ers got their first win of the season against the Jets on Sunday afternoon, but it came at a heavy price.
Defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas were both carted off with knee injuries in the first half while quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was hobbling around the field with a right ankle injury. Garoppolo would not return after halftime and running back Raheem Mostert was also ruled out with a knee injury during the break. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive lineman Kerry Hyder also got nicked up in the second half.
None of that stopped the 49ers from rolling to a 31-13 win, but it will make for a lot of anxious moments as they head to West Virginia for a week before returning to New Jersey to face the Giants next weekend. Tight end George Kittle and defensive end Dee Ford missed this game, so it won’t just be Sunday’s injuries under the microscope.
Nick Mullens replaced Garoppolo and didn’t have to do much more than ensure time ran off the clock as a totally overmatched Jets offense couldn’t find their way to the end zone until there were under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The loss leaves the Jets, who have plenty of injury woes of their own, with an 0-2 record with a trip to Indianapolis on tap.
Garoppolo threw two touchdowns to tight end Jordan Reed before exiting the game. Those scores helped make it easier to play without Kittle and made for a nice moment for the oft-injured free agent addition. Mostert ran 80 yards for a touchdown on the 49ers’ first offensive play of the day and Jerick McKinnon added a 55-yard run later in the contest. McKinnon also capped the scoring with an 18-yard run in the fourth quarter.
There were plenty of other things to like about the way the 49ers played on Sunday. Few of them will linger if the news is bad about the four players who left on Sunday.