49ers look to bounce back vs. Jets after opening loss
The San Francisco 49ers are heading across the country banged up and bitter after blowing a fourth-quarter lead in their season opener.
The defending NFC champions are 0-1 — and will try to avoid a two-game skid to start the year when they face the hapless New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
“We’ve just got to move on, get to Week 2 and get this thing rolling now,” quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. “You’ve got to deal with the situation that you’re given and control what you can control.”
For the 49ers, it’s about not letting another late lead slip through their hands, as they did in a 24-20 loss to Arizona last Sunday. They became the first Super Bowl runner-up to lose a season opener since Carolina fell 21-20 to Denver in 2016. San Francisco will also try to avoid becoming the first to start 0-2 since Seattle in 2015.
While the Jets looked awful in a 27-17 loss at Buffalo last Sunday, a victory at the Meadowlands might not be such a sure thing for the 49ers who are dealing with numerous injuries. Cornerback Richard Sherman (calf) is out, tight end George Kittle (knee) will not play, and wide receivers Deebo Samuel (foot) and Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) didn’t play in the opener.
“We’ve dealt with this before,” Garoppolo said. “I think every team, you’ve got to deal with your injuries. Next man up mindset.”
The Jets know exactly what the 49ers are dealing with. They’ll be without star running back Le’Veon Bell (hamstring), who’s on injured reserve, and leading receiver Jamison