A 32-19 victory over the New York Jets was a fantastic start to the season for the San Francisco 49ers. They managed a fairly dominant that can kickstart a winning streak for them. However, a winning streak will be difficult to achieve unless one 49ers player improves from their performance against the Jets.
One 49ers Player Who Must Improve in Week 2
The one 49ers player is none other than wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The passing game wasn’t too significant for the 49ers in their matchup with the Jets. Aiyuk is partly to blame for that. He didn’t make much of an impact in that game. That wasn’t to say he was subpar by any measure, but he can perform better than he showed. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings and tight end George Kittle were the most impactful players in the receiving game for quarterback Brock Purdy.
Aiyuk had moments to help sustain several drives throughout the game. Yet, it is still below the usual standards for him. The worst part of the game for him came when he dropped a touchdown pass at the end of the first half. Purdy threw a beautiful ball to him toward the back right corner of the endzone. Aiyuk had to extend a bit more than he’d like, but it was still an immaculate pass that hit his hands. Had he caught it, then the stats for Purdy would’ve matched the solid performance that he had. Instead, his stats got deflated because Aiyuk couldn’t catch that touchdown pass.
Aiyuk’s underwhelming outing against the Jets was to be expected. He hadn’t participated in a single practice with the 49ers until the leadup against the Jets. Aiyuk was holding out of training camp practices until a contract extension of his liking came to pass. Eventually, that would get sorted out, but at the cost of starting the regular season unprepared. This happened to defensive end Nick Bosa last year and wide receiver Deebo Samuel in 2022. Both players missed part or all of training camp due to holdouts during contract negotiations on an extension. While Bosa and Samuel got what they wanted, they started their seasons off sluggishly.
Outlook
Aiyuk is close to following in their footsteps. Samuel was never himself at all in 2022, while Bosa didn’t hit his stride until midseason of 2023. However, everything should change for him in Week 2 against the Vikings. Aiyuk will have another week of practice under his belt to get his feet further under him. The Vikings also do not have an elite cornerback like the Jets do with Sauce Gardener. Now, Stephon Gilmore is there with the Vikings, but he is past his elite status. He will be a much lighter matchup for Aiyuk to deal with, so he should manage to make a fairly significant impact against the Vikings. He can’t continue to use the lack of practice as an excuse. The 49ers need him, especially with Christian McCaffrey out. Week 2 against the Vikings is the perfect opportunity for him to kickstart momentum.
Main Image: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
