SANTA CLARA – Kyle Shanahan calls it “real football,” and it’s finally here.
Seven months since losing Super Bowl LVIII in overtime, the 49ers are done working remotely and ordered back to their Silicon Valley office of Levi’s Stadium. Ding, dong, a numbing offseason is done, from contract disputes to a death-defying shooting to their top draft pick.
The 49ers’ emotional whirlwind, however, won’t suddenly stop. Not with them being on the “Monday Night Football” stage. Not with Frank Gore being honored for his 49ers’ Hall of Fame enshrinement. Not with incumbent stars back in uniform before a soldout home crowd of 68,500 fans. And never with Aaron Rodgers strutting into town clutching a two-decade grudge.
Shifting all their focus to Rodgers and the New York Jets makes for a treasured test.
This star-studded 49ers roster strongly resembles the version that won the NFC last January here. That cast, though, got blinded in the prime-time lights by the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night, then twice rallied to stave off playoff elimination en route to their fateful Super Bowl date with Kansas City.
This season’s Super Bowl: Feb. 9 in New Orleans. “I don’t think you can ever make an assumption that you’re ready for a Super Bowl. You’ve got to earn that every year,” general manager John Lynch warned. “Nothing is given in this league. We have a very talented team. We have a very proven team that’s won a lot of games. But this is a new team.”
These are the five keys to successfully starting a new season:
1. PASS-RUSH PRESSURE
Nick Bosa’s newest pass-rushing ally is Leonard Floyd. That tandem will be in hot pursuit of Rodgers once they get past the Jets’ new tackles, veterans Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses. “The whole feel is different. That’s what happens when you bring in a couple of older guys,” Rodgers told Jets’ reporters of his new linemen. “There is a stability mentally that comes with that.”
Four plays into last season, Rodgers tore his Achilles when sacked by Floyd, who was then with the Bills. While that was Floyd’s 10th career sack of Rodgers, Bosa is no stranger, having sacked Rodgers twice in a January 2023 playoff comeback in Green Bay. Rodgers went 0-4 against the 49ers in playoff games with Green Bay, 6-3 in regular-season action with losses in the 2012 and ’13 openers.
“He’ll be wearing a different uniform but it’s definitely still him,” Bosa said of the Chico native who grew up rooting for the 49ers up until they bypassed him atop the 2005 draft.
Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP, is attuned to the 49ers’ revamped defensive front, which brought in not just Floyd but Maliek Collins and Jordan Elliott on the interior to complement Javon Hargrave and Kevin Givens. Depth at defensive end became a concern with Yetur Gross-Matos’ knee injury in the preseason finale.
2. COACHING MATCHUP
As they did for four seasons in practice, Kyle Shanahan will match wits against Robert Saleh, all while each has a great idea of what play is coming. Saleh was Shanahan’s first defensive coordinator from 2017-20 before taking on the Jets’ gig.
“Saleh is very sound in what he does. He’s not going to overthink it. So I’m not going to overthink it,” Shanahan said. “I just hope our stadium people don’t let him run the stairs (pregame), won’t let him get any workout in and hopefully that’ll rattle him a little bit.”
Shanahan may have let assistant Klay Kubiak call preseason plays, but Shanahan reclaimes those controls and will also duel Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, a former 49ers linebacker whom Shanahan reportedly was blocked from hiring this past offseason.
Said Shanahan: “I know Brick so well too. Brick’s a great coach and a good friend also that I have a history with. … But I don’t see really much relevance once the game starts.”
If things go askew in Nick Sorensen’s debut as the 49ers defensive coordinator, he might be the one hearing from Shanahan, and same goes for special teams coordinator Brian Schneider if the NFL’s new kickoff rules backfire against the 49ers.
3. SUPERSTARS’ ONBOARDING
Left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk are new here. Well, new this season. Their contract disputes kept them off the practice field until this past week. Meanwhile, running back Christian McCaffrey says his Aug. 3 calf injury is “much better,” and as he defends his NFL rushing title, his receiving skills could flumox Jets’ linebackers.
Can those three stars quickly pick up where they left off last season? “I guess we’ll see,” said Aiyuk, whose workload could be shared by Chris Conley in this opener.
While Aiyuk led the 49ers in receiving yards in 2020, ’22 and ’23, they also have their 2018-19 leader in George Kittle and ’21 All-Pro Deebo Samuel for quarterback Brock Purdy to distribute the ball. Don’t forget about Jauan Jennings, their Super Bowl stud, as well as speedy rookie Jacob Cowing.
Purdy won’t need to worry about a reunion with Haason Reddick, whose sack injured Purdy’s elbow in the January 2022 NFC Championship Game. Reddick remains a contract holdout after his trade from the Eagles, so the Jets’ best pass rusher remains Pro Bowler Jermain Johnson. The 49ers also must watch for cornerback Sauce Gardner, who made All-Pro his first two seasons despite just two total interceptions. Mismatches elsewhere are where the 49ers will seek their yards and points, a year after producing the second-most in franchise history.
4. SECONDARY DISGUISES
Sorensen’s promotion to defensive coordinator could yield more looks and wrinkles, especially amid a secondary that offers more versatility. Pro Bowl cornerback Charvarius Ward could travel with No. 1 receiver Garrett Wilson, or the 49ers could keep Ward on the left flank while Deommodore Lenoir and likely Isaac Yiadom also line up on passing downs. Perhaps rookie Renardo Green is added into the cornerback mix.
Rodgers has veterans to target in Mike Williams and Allen Lazard, while rookie Malachi Corley came out of the draft with versatility comparisons to the 49ers’ Samuel.
The secondary’s most dramatic scene could come if the 49ers let 2022 All-Pro Talanoa Hufana make his return, 10 months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Otherwise, George Odum likely will be lining up next to Ji’Ayir Brown. Rookie safety Malik Mustapha might be too irresistible to keep from debuting.
5. STOP THE RUN
So much of the 49ers’ defensive dominance is annually attributed to their run-stopping ability. Until last season’s playoffs. Sorensen and new assistant Brandon Staley are preaching new and old defenders to showcase “speed, violence, finish.”
Linebacker Fred Warner gave Jets running back Breece Hall the respect that many fantasy-football players share. “So dynamic, the ability to hit the home run with his speed, his cuts in and outside the box, I think he’s one of the top in the league,” Warner said. “He’s a huge test for us. We’ve got to swarm him. I know they’re excited about the rookies they brought in as well.”
Those would be Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis and perhaps Corley. For the first time since 2020, Warner won’t be lining up next to Dre Greenlaw, whose Achilles tear in the Super Bowl has him sidelined at least another month. Greenlaw’s likely replacement: De’Vondre Campbell, Rodgers’ teammate in Green Bay from 2021-22.
