You can argue that the San Francisco 49ers were the most talented of the four teams on Championship Weekend. One Niners player believes that to be the case. Luck just wasn't on their side against the Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Brock Purdy exited the game with a UCL tear, and his backup, Josh Johnson, was forced out with a concussion in the second half.
Purdy returned to the game, but the injury prevented him from throwing. So, lacking a quarterback who could throw the football, it was run, run, and run some more for much of the game.
"Man, it was tough. It was weird," wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk told Brad Graham of TheSFNiners. "It was definitely a weird situation. I've never been in any situation like that, let alone in a championship game with everything on the line. It was definitely weird.
"I didn't even know. It really took me getting home and being on the plane and really sitting down and realizing what just went on. We literally just played a football game for pretty much a half a football with no quarterback. It's the craziest thing."
Regarding talent, Aiyuk believes the 49ers roster is second to none, despite the team having to watch Super Bowl 57 from home. The 49ers playing in the NFC Championship Game with two hands tied behind their backs was a tough pill to swallow after winning 12 consecutive games entering the matchup.
"We went on a run. That's what makes this one just super hard, just because you have to get super lucky," Aiyuk shared. "You have to get super lucky. We have a talented football team. We have, hands down, the best football team in the league. Hands down. Hands down. I'm not even about to argue with anybody who thinks they should argue that."
Aiyuk admits that it has been tough to ignore the media chatter leading to the Super Bowl matchup between the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. The receiver believes that, had the 49ers been a little luckier with injuries, it might be him preparing for the big game.
"I'm sitting down on the couch, just watching whatever these sports shows are, and they're just talking about how Philly is the best team, the most loaded team in football all year," Aiyuk said. "And it's just like—can't say nothing about it—but it's just like, 'No.' If you want to go player for player, offense or defense, I don't think anybody has [what we have].
"But that's what makes us so sick about this one because we feel like everything that we did from that point on, losing from KC, and from that point forward, just what we did to the league and how we just played on tape and how we really, I firmly believe, pumped fear into the opponent's heart when they had to come and play the San Francisco 49ers, we felt like it was our time. We felt like it was our time. And for that to get cut short, it's sickening."
Aiyuk and the 49ers were hoping for a rematch against the Chiefs, the team that delivered the Week 7 loss that sparked their impressive 12-game win streak.
Aiyuk added, "Kansas City [beat us], and we wanted to get one more chance at them. We weren't able to do that."
"I'm about to take off": 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk expects big things in 2023
By David Bonilla
May 31
Brandon Aiyuk knows his payday will come—eventually. Some speculated that the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver might be frustrated by his contract situation. However, Aiyuk admits he was just having fun with the offseason rumors.
"It's just a crazy, crazy business, so you never really know," Aiyuk told reporters after Wednesday's practice. "But I was having fun with it. I knew what's going on long before, so yeah. I didn't know what was going on at first, but I had a conversation with [general manager] John [Lynch], I had a conversation with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan]. They told me what it was, and then from that point on, we moved forward."
Aiyuk is entering his fourth NFL season and is looking to top his 78-catch, 1,015-yard, and eight-touchdown
What to make of Jeff Darlington's report on 49ers QB Trey Lance's first-team reps
By David Bonilla
May 31
ESPN's Jeff Darlington recently appeared on the network's NFL Live show and discussed the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback situation, highlighting Trey Lance's healthy state and current workload during organized team activities (OTAs).
"Trey Lance is the guy during OTAs who's been taking all the 1st-team reps; he's healthy at this point," Darlington said, per Dov Kleiman of BroBible. "Sam Darnold really getting backup duty as he kinda gets his playbook under his belt. But for now, Trey Lance getting his opportunity with those first-team reps."
What is the takeaway from these comments? Nothing, really. We
Sam Darnold working with first-team offense during 49ers OTAs
By David Bonilla
May 31
A somewhat bigger-than-necessary deal was made last week when reporters saw San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance taking the first-team reps in the first practice of organized team activities (OTAs) open to reporters.
After the practice, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked what, if anything, could be concluded from that.
"It'll even out," Shanahan assured reporters. "We'll make sure to get that right."
The coach made a point to add, "And the first-team is kind of funny because there's no [offensive] line out there. Most of our receivers are second- and third-team on the first-team today, so I'm curious what everyone thinks first- and second- and third-team is."
The 49ers also made Wednesday's practice open to reporters as the team
Podcast: 49ers QBs Trey Lance, Sam Darnold splitting first-team reps
By Rohan Chakravarthi
May 31
Rohan Chakravarthi and Suneil break down the latest from Week 2 of OTAs for the San Francisco 49ers, including the quarterback rep split, offensive line talk, and John Lynch.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
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You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our
