San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk had a standout season, amassing 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns—setting a career-high in yardage for the fourth-year player.
Most of those catches came courtesy of Brock Purdy, whose franchise-record-breaking 4,280 passing yards defined a remarkable second season for the young quarterback.
Still, Aiyuk believes the chemistry between himself and Purdy remains a work in progress, signaling potential trouble for opponents standing in the way of the 49ers' Super Bowl aspirations.
"He had a great regular season," Aiyuk acknowledged last week. "He did a great job. But even out there today (in practice), we're still trying to continue to build on that connection as it gets tighter and tighter each game that we play from here on out. So we're just continuing to build off that."
Aiyuk's impressive 17.9 yards per reception ranked second in the NFL, surpassed only by George Pickens of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who owned an 18.1 average. Pro Football Focus also recognizes Aiyuk as the second-highest graded receiver (92.3), trailing only Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins (93.4).
"I definitely think that we were able to do some special things and still continue to look forward towards more special things," Aiyuk added.
Of all the possible routes he can run within head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, Aiyuk admitted that he prefers to haul in passes from Purdy while running across the middle of the field.
"Anytime you get to go across the middle, you get chances for big exposure plays," Aiyuk explained. "And the way that Brock is able to see it and throw it on time and pace, it just makes for good offense. So, really, anywhere on the field, I'm trying to catch the football. But I think through the middle of the field, we've definitely got some work in through there."
San Francisco didn't play this past weekend. As the top-seeded team in the NFC, the 49ers earned a first-round bye. On Saturday, they will host a Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium. A victory would secure their ticket for a third consecutive appearance in the NFC Championship Game, once again placing them on the doorstep of a trip to the Super Bowl.
