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Here are the defensive players to watch for each team as the New York Jets prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.
Not so long ago, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, a fact that makes their meeting on Monday Night Football all the more intriguing.
This will be the first meeting between Saleh and his former team since he took the Jets job before the 2021 season. He’s quite familiar with what 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan likes to do offensively. But the 49ers are also quite familiar with what Saleh likes to do defensively.
New York has one of the best defenses in the NFL, a unit that by season’s end could be ranked No. 1 in the league. The unit is filled with former first-round draft picks and that doesn’t even count edge rusher Haason Reddick, who continues his holdout for a contract extension. He was nowhere to be found at the practice facility on Thursday and the window is tightening for him to agree to a deal and be available for Monday’s game.
The Jets were third in the NFL in defensive yards allowed per game last year (292.3 ypg) and were just outside the Top 10 in points allowed per game (20.9).
The 49ers also have a quality defense returning. San Francisco allowed 303.9 yards per game a season ago, good for eighth-best in the NFL. The 49ers allowed 17.5 points per game, third-best in the league.
