Players hurt in 49ers’ win over Jets
Bosa, Garoppolo and Mostert among injury casualties for Niners
The San Francisco 49ers won the game, and lost so much in the process.
Beating the New York Jets 3113 was a mere formality amid a frightening battle of attrition. An already injury-stricken 49ers team saw headliners and starters exit early, including:
• Jimmy Garoppolo. The rebounding quarterback did not return after halftime, after playing through an early ankle injury and doing so in near-perfect fashion to stake the 49ers to a 21-3 halftime lead
• Nick Bosa. The defense’s top player sustained a serious leftknee injury, and it forced him to get carted off on the second series. Bosa, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament in high school, had his left knee buckle while engaged in a block with tight end Trevon Wesco on a Frank Gore run.
• Solomon Thomas. Two snaps after Bosa’s exit, Thomas also got carted off with a left knee injury. Right tackle George Fant backed into Thomas, the 2017 draft’s No. 3 overall pick who was making his 30th career start.
• Raheem Mostert. The 49ers’ leading rusher was kept out after halftime because of a knee injury. He sparked the rout with an 80-yard touchdown run on the first snap, and he exited with 92 rushing yards (eight carries) and 15 receiving yards (two catches).
More 49ers went down before the rout was done, and keep in mind they played without four mainstays: tight end George Kittle (knee), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (foot; injured reserve), cornerback Richard Sherman (calf; injured reserve) and pass rusher Dee Ford (neck).
Next Sunday, the depth tested 49ers (1-1) will return to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants, after spending the coming week at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. Giants star Saquon Barkley sustained a knee injury himself, Sunday.
Here are the highs, lows and all else you need to know as the 49ers rebounded from last Sunday’s opening loss to Arizona: GAROPPOLO’S GRIT >> Pain immediately struck Jimmy Garoppolo’s right ankle on a second-series sack by Quinnen Williams. Garoppolo gutted through it remarkably well, up until his halftime exit. He was 14-of16 for 131 yards, with two touchdown passes to Jordan Reed and no further sacks.
Garoppolo stayed on target. Even his first incompletion was a perfectly placed 40-yard pass that Kendrick Bourne dropped just beyond midfield. Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams kept sending defenders at Garoppolo, who withstood several hits and ultimately drew a roughing-the-passer penalty to keep alive his final touchdown drive.
After throwing his second touchdown pass to Reed 11 seconds before halftime, Garoppolo headed in early to the locker room. His only other incompletion was a pass to Reed the snap before that touchdown. He completed all seven passes on the series immediately following his ankle injury, capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass to Reed. ‘GEORDAN’ REED >> After just a 10-snap cameo last Sunday in his 49ers debut, Reed excelled while tight end George Kittle (knee sprain) missed only his fourth career game. By halftime, Reed had six catches on seven targets for 49 yards and two touchdowns, in only his second game since 2018. He finished with seven receptions for 50 yards. MOSTERT’S SPRINT >> Mostert (eight carries, 92 yards) got ruled out at halftime because of an ankle injury, but not before his speed keyed the 49ers’ start. He took the opening snap 80 yards for a touchdown. His sprint to the goal line got clocked at 23.1 mph, faster than any ball carrier over the past two seasons.
That touchdown put Mostert in an elite 49ers fraternity. Only four other players have scored touchdowns in eight straight games: Jerry Rice (1986-87; 1989), Terrell Owens (1989), Freddie Solomon (1984) and Dave Parks (1965-66). Rice owns the team record with 13 consecutive games in the 1986-87 seasons.
A Mike McGlinchey holding penalty nullified a 67yard TD run by Mostert. NEXT RUSHERS UP >> With Mostert ruled out, Jerick McKinnon took a seemingly innocent handoff on thirdand-31 then burst up the middle for a 55-yard run to the Jets’ 34-yard line. That provided a boost amid all the injuries, and shortly after Nick Mullens fumbled when sacked on his second snap. When McKinnon scored on a fourth-quarter run, the 49ers’ lead grew to 31-6.
Tevin Coleman lost yards or was held to no gain on 6 of 8 carries before he found more positive yards. He added two catches for 28 yards.
AIYUK’S DEBUT >> His first career catch resulted in a third-down conversion. Garoppolo rolled right for an 8-yard pass to Aiyuk at the Jets’ 43. He showed his yards-after-catch proficiency on his next catch, for 13 yards.
BOURNE RALLIES >> Kendrick Bourne overcame dropping that deep ball on Garoppolo’s first incompletion, and the fourth-year receiver picked up a third-down conversion catch for 18 yards just before the two-minute warning. His next receptions went for 10, 15 and 24 yards.
MULLENS’ RUST >> Garoppolo’s halftime exit lent Nick Mullens his first meaningful snaps since 2018, when he went 3-5 in his first career starts. The offense struggled to regain a consistent rhythm. He fumbled on the first of two sacks, and he completed 8-of-11 for 71 yards with one interception, off a pass tipped by McKinnon.
DEFENSIVE STAND >> Back-toback stops on short-yardage runs bailed out a 49ers defense that had yielded on 5-of-7 earlier third down plays. But on third-and-1 from the 49ers’ 20, Frank Gore got stopped for no gain, with Kevin Givens getting the initial pressure. Then, on fourth-and-1, Fred Warner hit Josh Adams in the backfield, and Emmanuel Moseley assisted on the tackle for no gain.
Warner had a team-high 12 tackles. Arik Armstead recorded the 49ers’ only sack on Sam Darnold (21of-32, 179 yards, one touchdown).
The 49ers outgained the Jets 359 to 277. On thirddown conversions, the 49ers were 7-of-13 and the Jets just 5-of-14 (after starting 5-of-7).
BANK SHOT >> Robbie Gould made a 46-yard field goal by banking in his attempt off the right upright for a 24-3 lead. That was the 20th consecutive field-goal attempt Gould made dating back to last December’s loss at Baltimore.
MORE GORE >> Frank Gore, the 49ers’ all-time rushing leader, saw plenty of action against his old club as the Jets had few other options. He averaged only 3 yards per carry on 21 runs (63 yards) midway through the fourth quarter.
The Jet’s only touchdown came with 1:23 remaining on a 30-yard touchdown catch by Braxton Berrios, who slipped past Ahkello Witherspoon, who replaced Sherman in the starting lineup.
OTHER INJURIES >> Defensive end Kerry Hyder and linebacker Dre Greenlaw were among other those injured before the 49ers began intentionally clearing their bench for precautionary reasons. The Jets lost wide receiver Breshad Perriman, center Connor McGovern and cornerbacks Quincy WIlson and Arthur Maulet.