The New York Jets feel like they are just a healthy season out of Aaron Rodgers away from making the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers know that if they stay healthy they have a Super Bowl caliber roster.
The two teams meet at Levi’s Stadium on Monday night for what could be a Super Bowl preview, and is definitely a late-career defining moment for Rodgers, as he tries to prove that he can still play at a Hall of Fame level.
Game Line: 49ers (-4)
Since realignment in 2002, only four times has a division started the season with a perfect 4-0 record in Week 1. With wins on Sunday by the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and the surprise win by the New England Patriots, the Jets have an opportunity to make it a fifth time and complete the clean sweep for the AFC East.
There is, however, a bit of team history working against them. Over the last 20 years, the Jets are 4-12 in the regular season when traveling to the west coast. Perhaps Rodgers, a Northern California native, can flip that script. He is 6-3 in the regular season against his childhood favorite team, and he has 10 straight wins on Monday Night Football, which is one away from tying Ken Stabler’s record.
He also has massive expectations, as do all of the Jets. But Rodgers is equipped to handle it.
On the other sideline, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is lacking the gaudy resume, the star power, and the media frenzy that follows Rodgers. But Purdy was just in the Super Bowl, and when his contract needs renewing next off-season, he will begin to make Rodgers-like money.
Last season, the 49ers began the year with a 30-7 road win at the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was Purdy’s first Week 1 start, and it was a rare good Week 1 for the 49ers. It was just the second time since the 2016 season that the 49ers covered the Week 1 point spread.
Against the Jets, the 49ers have covered the spread in five of the last six meetings.
Quarterback Proposition Bets
Aaron Rodgers has 20 touchdown passes to just two interceptions in his regular season career against the 49ers, and he is paying +110 to have at least two more touchdowns on Monday night. His passing yards over/under is 234.5, and only twice in his nine games against San Francisco has he gone under that number.
Purdy is at even money to have at least two touchdown passes against the Jets, and the over/under on his passing yards is 235.5.
The line on the longest completion by Rodgers sits at 34.5 yards. For Purdy, it’s 36.5.
Running Back Proposition Bets
If you play fantasy football, the two running backs going head-to-head on Monday were probably two of the three top picks in your league. Christian McCaffrey, the Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, and Breece Hall, who exploded at the end of last season when his knee was finally healthy.
Both are dual threat backs, and the over/under on rushing and receiving yards for McCaffrey is set at 112.5. Hall is at 95.5.
Last season, McCaffrey averaged slightly more than 124 total yards per game. Hall averaged less than 93 total yards per game for the season, but in four of the last five games, he went over 100 yards, and twice he was over 190 total yards in the last three games of the season.
McCaffrey is -170 to be an anytime touchdown scorer, and Hall pays +120 to score a touchdown.
Pass Catcher Proposition Bets
Brandon Aiyuk has a new contract and he is expected to emerge as WR1 this season for the 49ers. He is +170 to score a touchdown on Monday night, and the over/under on his receiving yards is 49.5. It’s a relatively low number, considering the $120 million he just signed for. But it is the most for any 49er.
The over/under on receiving yards for Deebo Samuel is 47.5, and for tight end George Kittle it is 43.5 yards.
The Jets are paced by Garrett Wilson, the Offensive Rookie of the Year two seasons ago. Wilson has an over/under of 70.5 receiving yards, and he is +140 to score a touchdown. New Jets wide receiver Mike Williams has a receiving yards over/under of 29.5, and tight end Tyler Conklin is also at 29.5.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
