With Deebo Samuel sidelined for at least two games, all eyes were on Brandon Aiyuk to step up in a big way for the San Francisco 49ers. In the first half against the Minnesota Vikings, things seemed to be trending in the right direction, with Aiyuk hauling in five receptions for 57 yards.
However, shockingly, his impact dwindled in the second half, when he was targeted just once—in the fourth quarter—but failed to haul in the slightly off-target Brock Purdy-thrown football.
#49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk in first 26 minutes Monday: 5 catches, 57 yards
Aiyuk in final 34 minutes: 0 catches
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) October 24, 2023
Was the reduced production a result of halftime adjustments by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores to limit the star receiver's impact in the second half?
"No," head coach Kyle Shanahan affirmed. "I mean, there was plays for him. Just, they mixed up their coverages, and that's just the way it rolls sometimes."
NFL analyst Brian Baldinger expressed his confusion over Aiyuk's reduced involvement in the final two quarters, believing that Aiyuk should have been more prominently featured, given his first-half productivity.
"I think he should have gotten more [passes thrown his way], to be honest with you," Baldinger said Tuesday morning on 95.7 The Game, "because the way that they were playing, especially on first downs, especially the way they're playing the run, I mean, they were basically selling out to play the run, and they did that, and they were good at it."
The Vikings are a blitz-heavy team, which means there should have been opportunities for Aiyuk to make more plays without facing as much double coverage. Minnesota's blitz rate of 56.4 percent is the highest in the NFL.
"And they're a big blitz-zero team," Baldinger continued. "You're going to get some one-on-ones out there, and I like my chances of Brandon Aiyuk against, whether it's [Vikings CB Byron] Murphy, or whoever, [Vikings CB Akayleb] Evans, whoever's on the other side, I like my chances against them.
"You've got to give him a little bit of time, and they chose not to do that. They went to [WR Jauan] Jennings. At the very end, they went to [WR Ray-Ray] McCloud. It just seemed a little bit unusual that you wouldn't feature your best receiver."
Aiyuk has unquestionably emerged as the 49ers' top receiver, leading the team in targets (43), receptions (30), and receiving yards (511). He's currently on pace to surpass 1,300 receiving yards this season.
Baldinger added, "Especially with Deebo out, I mean, you've kind of got to lean on your number one. That's what Aiyuk is. He's a number-one wide receiver. You lean on him, and you call plays for him, and you clear out for him. I mean, there's all kinds of different things you can do, especially against a Flores defense that's so blitz-happy."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Baldinger below.
