| Alex Smith and the 49ers rebounded in a big way Sunday from their loss to the Vikings last week, trouncing the Jets 34-0 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. (US Presswire) |
The Jets couldn't get out of their own way. Their tackling was sloppy and their offense never established any kind of rhythm. The 49ers, meanwhile, turned in a dominating performance, pounding the Jets on the ground and doing nearly everything right en route to a 34-0 rout at Metlife Stadium.
It was a significant turnaround from last week for the 49ers, who bounced back in a big way from their surprise loss to the Vikings and, in doing so, re-established themselves as one of the NFL's premier teams.
The Jets planned to “ground and pound,” but wound up with an anemic 45 rushing yards. The passing game wasn't much better. On the other side of the ball, the run defense -- which came into the game ranked 28th -- must have stayed in the locker room, as the 49ers rushed for 245 yards and three touchdowns.
And last but not least, the wildcat worked well for the 49ers, but not the Jets. Tim Tebow had one rush for two yards, and added his first pass as a Jet -- a nine-yard completion to tight end Dedrick Epps, who left the game immediately after that play with a knee injury.
After the game, a livid Jets coach Rex Ryan said, “We got our ass kicked. There’s no two ways about it.”
QB Mark Sanchez said of the postgame feeling in the locker room, “Guys are just upset. This is not the way we imagined this game going.”
As for the 49ers, their rushing attack was textbook with those 245 yards distributed among nine players. QB Alex Smith , who was 12 of 21 for 143 yards and no touchdowns and no interceptions, did just enough to help engineer the running game and not create any setbacks. The 49ers' effective use of QB Colin Kaepernick in the wildcat certainly turned a few heads, as he opened the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run.
And, the 49ers defense came in wanting to make a statement.
“After the last game, some people questioned us,” LB Aldon Smith said. “We know what we are capable of. We are a good defense that plays well together.”
When the game turned: The 49ers had this game in hand from the first snap. A penalty by new starting CB Kyle Wilson on the very first play set the (downhill) tone.
Highlight moments: The Jets had none. For the 49ers, it was a fourth-quarter play that started with Jets WR Santonio Holmes catching a short pass. But he injured his knee on the play, causing him to fumble. Carlos Rogers scooped the ball and raced 51 yards in to the end zone for a 24-0 lead with 14:46 remaining, effectively putting the game out of the Jets' reach.
Top-shelf performances: Backup 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick ran the wildcat the way the Jets have wanted QB Tim Tebow to run it. Kaepernick had five attempts for 50 yards and a touchdown.
What they said about one of the worst losses in coach Rex Ryan’s tenure with the Jets:
Ryan: "We got our ass kicked. Here’s the recipe for getting your ass kicked, 2 for 13 on third down, four turnovers a blocked punt and 245 rushing yards (from the opponent).”
DE Mike DeVito : “It’s frustrating… missed tackles and technique errors up front.”
QB Mark Sanchez: “It starts with the quarterback. I didn’t play well enough for us to win. Hopefully we never have to feel like this again.”
Numbers you should know: First downs: 49ers 26; Jets 9. Third-down conversions: 49ers 4 of 12; Jets 2 for 13. And then there were the penalties. The 49ers had eight for 67 yards and while the Jets had only four for 30 yards, they turned the ball over four times.
Injury update: Holmes left the game with a noncontact foot injury and from all appearances could be out a while. TE Epps left with a knee injury.
Going forward: The Jets (2-2 overall, 2-0 AFC East) will face the Texans (4-0) next Monday night. If the Jets don’t turn things around fast, that game could be even uglier than Sunday’s against the 49ers. The Jets host the Colts in Week 6 before finishing the first half of the season playing at Buffalo and hosting Miami, who they defeated in Week 3. After two weeks on the road, the 49ers (3-1 overall, 0-0 NFC West) return home for the next three weeks to face the Bills, Giants and Seahawks.
Stay dialed in on the New York Jets by following correspondent Lisa Zimmerman on Twitter @CBSJets and @LisaZimmerman.