Anyone who did not know better would have thought wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk had one of his better games from start to finish Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
But 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan knows better.
And he had a different assessment.
“I thought Aiyuk really rebounded well,” Shanahan said the day following the 49ers’ 37-34 overtime victory against the Raiders.
Shanahan was hard on Aiyuk early last season, and Aiyuk worked to appease his head coach.
And, ultimately, he did.
Aiyuk had a big second half of the 2021 NFL season and finished with 56 receptions for 826 yards and five touchdowns.
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This season, Aiyuk is piling up the best statistics of his three-year career with 74 catches for 956 yards and eight touchdowns.
Although Aiyuk got the 49ers on the scoreboard with a 2-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, Shanahan said Aiyuk got off to a slow start in Las Vegas. Then, he kicked into “beast mode,” as teammate Christian McCaffrey described it.
“I thought he was struggling a lot in that game. But he ended up making some big plays at the end that really helped us win,” Shanahan said. “So I thought it was a hell of a job by him just overcoming how some things started, and he ended up finishing real strong.”
Aiyuk was on the field for 64 of the 49ers’ 67 offensive snaps in the game. Quarterback Brock Purdy targeted Aiyuk on 12 pass plays. The wideout caught nine passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Aiyuk also had one rushing attempt for 16 yards.
That means there were 51 plays on which the ball did not come Aiyuk’s way. It was on those plays that Shanahan was clearly not satisfied with how Aiyuk played.
“There are responsibilities on each play, so that's why you can't always judge how great of a game it was based off of stats,” Shanahan said. “I know it was great that he got over 100 yards, which I was happy for him. He deserved it.
“He was one of the reasons why we won at the end. I'm just saying that he's had some better games throughout the year.”
Aiyuk has become the 49ers’ No. 1 pass catcher with Deebo Samuel being limited to 12 games this season.
Samuel, who could return in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals from ankle and knee injuries, has 54 receptions for 612 yards and two touchdowns.
Shanahan said Aiyuk deserves credit this season for being more than just a productive player. He has been a tone-setter.
“Aiyuk's been one of our leaders this year,” Shanahan said. “He comes to practice every day. He shows up for the game every Sunday. Good or bad, you can always count on him to give all that he's got.”
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Shanahan said he also can count on Aiyuk to absorb what the coaching staff tells him.
“He's going to show up on Monday, take the critique and come out and practice pretty much every Wednesday,” Shanahan said. “He's found a way to stay healthy throughout this year, and I think he's one of the guys that everyone knows is going to be there week-in and week-out.”