Monday Night Football Week 1 Picks: Can Rodgers Fix the Jets?

• Brandon Aiyuk ended his holdout and resigned with the Niners last week

• Aaron Rodgers missed almost all of last season with an Achilles injury

• Charvarius Ward finished last season with  five INTs and a league-high 23 passes defended

The first week of the NFL features a ton of great games, but Monday Night Football gives us the best. That is because we will get to see a healthy Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.

If you want to wager on this Monday Night Football clash, you have come to the right place. Below, we’ll share our favorite picks for the Jets vs. 49ers MNF game, giving you everything you need to place and win your bets on Monday. Here, we’ll use odds from Caesars Sportsbook, which gives new users a $1,000 First Bet Offer when they sign up using promo code WSN1000.

49ers -4.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook

The Niners bring back most of their core from last season, including newly re-signed Brandon Aiyuk. He joins Deebo Samuel Sr., George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey to give the Niners enough weapons to beat a great Jets defense.

Two significant problems will cost the Jets the game. The first is an aging Aaron Rodgers, who missed last season after posting the worst season of his career with the Packers. While many blamed his struggle with the Pack on their youth, we saw Jordan Love lead them to the playoffs last season, signaling that Rodgers was likely the problem.

The other problem is that the defense will be without elite pass rusher Haason Reddick. The team traded for the star but has refused the contract demands he made public before the acquisition. Reddick is not even showing up for the Jets and continues to hold out as the season begins, which hurts the defense's talent and the locker room's morale.

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Under 44.0 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook

This is a low total, but that is because the matchup features two of the league’s top defenses. They can shut down even the best offenses, especially in Week 1, when many offenses are still figuring things out. 

Brock Purdy may find some success against the Jets but don’t count on 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers to do much. The quarterback is coming off an Achilles injury that cost him almost the entire 2023 season, and we haven’t seen him look like the Rodgers of old since 2022. The former NFL MVP may settle in with the Jets’ impressive playmakers, but it will take time.

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Aaron Rodgers Under 234.5 Passing Yards (-127 at Caesars Sportsbook)

As you can see, we are betting hard against Rodgers on Monday Night Football. While he remains one of the best to play the position, injuries and age have taken their toll. The Jets have a lot of weapons for him to use, but he has not had a chance to work with many of them before. It will take time for them to gel, especially against a defense as stout as the Niners.

While San Francisco’s pass defense hasn’t been their strength, they have one of the most dangerous corners in the league in Charvarius Ward. The veteran is coming off his best season, posting five interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, and a league-high 23 passes defended.

Ward will be a big problem for Rodgers, leading the Jets to lean more on Breece Hall and the run game.

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