What a win for the San Francisco 49ers against the New York Jets. To pull that off in a primetime season opener sets a tone.

Normally, wins against an AFC opponent don’t carry as much weight as an NFC opponent. However, there are two reasons why the 49ers’ win against the Jets is significant.

First reason

The craziest thing about the 49ers coming off a pretty dominant win against the Jets is the fact that they didn’t look all that great. That’s not to say they weren’t good at all. But how can anyone look at that performance, especially offensively, and believe that the 49ers had an “A+” level performance?

The 49ers had a “B-” performance. The 49ers had more going into that game. And yet they still came away with a pretty dominant win, which is what makes it so important. The 49ers weren’t at their best and they still pulled it off against a team that was in the playoffs. They were in control for most of the game.

Imagine the 49ers getting into their stride. Improvements that need to be made are tightening up the offensive line, cleaning off the rust from Brandon Aiyuk, and bringing the pass rush to life. It’s going to be a scary few hours for the 49ers once they get back to normal. They’re going to give opponents like Freddy Kreuger nightmares. Watch out.

Second reason

The vibes around the 49ers in training camp were foggy. The holdouts of Aiyuk and Trent Williams played a big part in that. So did the 49ers’ rapid-fire injury spree. It was starting to feel like they were about to repeat their 2020 season. The best way to stop that? A win against the Jets.

Winning is the ultimate panacea, and the 49ers did it in a pretty dominant way. Suddenly, all those negative vibes and awkward atmospheres feel like eons ago. Now, the vibes are confirming what the 49ers have always been: one of the best teams in the NFL.

Momentum was slowly building for the 49ers heading into Week 1 against the Jets. Aiyuk and Williams signed new deals and returned to the team. Christian McCaffrey returned to practice, signaling that injury luck was starting to turn positive for the 49ers. While he ultimately didn’t play against the Jets, it was still a sign that the 49ers had gotten over the injury bug.

Everything feels good with them right now. The arrow is pointing up with a potential winning streak in the middle. If the 49ers can capitalize on this win and build momentum, they are not a team anyone wants to be a part of. That happened last year when they were on a roll. If they can create momentum and play with it, they are unstoppable. That is what makes the win against the Jets important.

It shows that the atmosphere is unwavering and puts it on edge. Now it is a matter of maintaining it without running into any obstacles along the way.