Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Kyle Shanahan: 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk was ‘ready for the moment’ vs. Steelers
Sep 11, 2023 at 3:41 PM
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is the next big-name San Francisco 49ers player in line for a contract extension. If he strings together a season full of games that looks like Sunday's outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, expect him to earn a very nice payday next year.
Aiyuk finished Week 1 with a game-leading 129 yards and two touchdowns, catching all eight of his targets by quarterback
Brock Purdy. Aiyuk ranks third in the NFL in receiving yards, behind Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
One game is a small sample size, but speaking to reporters on a conference call Monday, the day after the
49ers' impressive 30-7 win, the head coach was asked to identify the biggest difference he's seen in his star receiver.
"[He's] more consistent," Kyle Shanahan said. "I thought he came a long way last year in that, as the year went. I think that's why he ended up leading our team in receiving, and he carried that into the offseason. And I didn't know if he was going to get all those opportunities going into the game. You never know how it's going to play out, but he got eight opportunities and he came down with all eight of them. So that doesn't always mean you get more. Sometimes, that means you get more attention, and they take it away, which helps out other people. So you never know which direction it's going to go each week.
"But the coolest thing about B.A. is how ready he came to play, regardless. You see him on some of those run plays and stuff from the beginning to the end, and usually, when he's like that in the run game, it carries over to the pass game. The pass game is just a little more out of your control. But yesterday, it all fell to him, and he was ready for the moment and had a big-time game."
San Francisco drafted Aiyuk (6-0, 200) out of Arizona State with the No. 25 overall pick in 2020. The 25-year-old has caught 202 passes for 2,718 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 117 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 13 carries in 47 game appearances (45 starts) through his four NFL seasons.
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Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk weigh in on 49ers-Eagles showdown
The eagerly awaited Week 13 clash between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles is on the horizon. Following a Thanksgiving roasting of the Seattle Seahawks, the 49ers returned to the field on Monday for a bonus practice, gearing up for the NFC Championship Game rematch.
Wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk addressed reporters after practice, downplaying the emotional significance of Sunday's showdown between NFC powerhouses. Both players, vocal about their disappointment after last season's devastating defeat, had previously suggested that the better team failed to come out on top.
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John Lynch marvels at Brandon Aiyuk's 49ers breakthrough
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is making waves this season, putting up impressive numbers with 43 receptions for 831 yards and four touchdowns. The fourth-year player earned a career-high 156 receiving yards on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including a remarkable 76-yard touchdown catch.
PURDY TO AIYUK. 76-YARD TOUCHDOWN.📺: #TBvsSF on FOX📱: Stream on #NFLPlus
49ers being favored over Eagles 'doesn't make a lot of sense' to Kyle Shanahan
Sitting at 10-1, the Philadelphia Eagles own the NFL's best record. They are set to host the San Francisco 49ers in a highly anticipated NFC Championship Game rematch on Sunday in front of a rowdy Lincoln Financial Field crowd. Despite the Eagles' five-game winning streak, the 8-3 road-team 49ers are currently favored by three points.
Oddsmakers might be favoring the 49ers because of how they have won games recently. Bouncing back from a challenging October, the team is now on a three-game winning streak, dominating opponents with an average margin of victory of 20.7 points.
In contrast, the Eagles have secured victories with a more modest average margin of 4.8 points over their last four games, including an overtime win against the Buffalo Bills on
Kyle Shanahan previews 49ers-Eagles Week 13 matchup
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters before Wednesday's practice, as the team prepares for its Week 13 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Here is everything he had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comments:
"Injuries for practice today. [RB] Jordan Mason, hamstring, won't practice. [WR] Ray-Ray McCloud [III], rib, won't practice. [DL] Arik Armstead, foot, won't practice. [OL] Spencer Burford, knee, limited."
Is Arik's foot injury something similar to what he dealt with last year?
"I'm not sure exactly. I know it's his foot. I'm not sure how similar it is."
Do you kind of want
