The New York Jets officially opened their season on Monday night with a game against the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. It was a big game that served as a test of their ability against the top teams in the league.

There was a lot of optimism leading up to this match.

Not only does the offense have their future Hall of Famer back in Aaron Rodgers, the defense still looks to be top notch despite losing several notable players and Haason Reddick being unavailable due to his ongoing absence.

Still, the Jets are expected to once again be one of the best defensive units in the NFL, thanks in large part to their secondary, led by world-renowned cornerback Sauce Gardner.

Leading into this game, the two-time First-Team All-Pro would face two of the toughest assignments in football with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel on the other side.

Gardner proved his elite status early with a pass breakup, two tackles and one for loss.

But the star cornerback was mysteriously sidelined for a portion of the 49ers’ drives after colliding with Samuel’s knee during a tackle.

According to ESPN reporter Lisa Salters, there was no mention of a medical issue during the broadcast. The fact that he was standing on the sideline with his helmet off and in his hand made for a confusing situation.

Fortunately, Gardner returned to the field with San Francisco in the red zone before halftime and was able to help New York stifle the drive and limit the 49ers to a field goal.

The Jets still have a lot of work to do in the second half, on both ends of the field.

After the offense went three-and-out to start, they followed that up with a fumble on their fourth snap of the game. They were able to respond and score their first touchdown of the year on a Breece Hall three-yard rush that capped a 12-play drive, but beyond that, they were shut out on two subsequent three-and-outs.

Defensively, New York did a good job of keeping San Francisco from reaching the end zone, but they were crushed on the ground for 104 yards and 5.2 yards per attempt. That’s surprising considering Christian McCaffrey sat out the game and backup Jordan Mason had to take over.

All eyes will be on Gardner’s situation in the second half after he was sidelined for some time for unknown reasons.