Rodgers, Jets to face 49ers in 2024's first Monday Night Football matchup
May 14 (UPI) -- Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets will face the Super Bowl LVIII runner-up San Francisco 49ers in the first Monday Night Football game of the 2024 NFL campaign, the league announced Tuesday.
The game will kick off at 8:20 p.m. EDT Sept. 9 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. It will air on ESPN.
Rodgers, who was traded from the Green Bay Packers last off-season, made his Jets debut in a Monday Night Football season opener last year. He was injured after just 75 seconds, sustaining a season-ending torn left Achilles tendon.
Despite his absence, the Jets beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime to start the season 1-0. They then lost their next three games.
The Jets followed that skid with a three-game winning streak, but then dropped six of their next seven and finished the campaign with a 7-10 record. They were led by the No. 3 defense in the NFL.
The 49ers, who had the No. 2 offense and No. 3 defense in the NFL, won their first five games. They entered their Week 9 bye with a 5-3 record. The 49ers then went on a six-game winning streak and finished the regular season with a 12-5 record, en route to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
They then beat the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round to earn a trip to the NFC title game for the fourth time in five years. They next defeated the Detroit Lions to clinch their second trip to the Super Bowl in five seasons.
The Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, will open the 2024 season against the Baltimore Ravens. That matchup will kick off at 8:20 p.m. Sept. 5 in Kansas City, Mo., and air on NBC.
The NFL, which will reveal the entire schedule Wednesday, announced three other games so far this off-season. The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Green Bay Packers Sept. 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. That NFC matchup will stream on Peacock.
The Cleveland Browns will host the Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 p.m. Sept. 8 in Cleveland. That game will air on Fox. The Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals in the first announced Week 2 matchup at 4:25 p.m. Sept. 15 in Kansas City. That game will air on CBS.
