49ers' Brandon Aiyuk is the most open receiver in the NFL
Brandon Aiyuk did not have the huge night for which he will have hoped on Monday as the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Minnesota Vikings. The 49ers' leading receiver from 2022 once again displayed an excellent rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy, but was limited to 57 yards on five catches in the 22-17 defeat. […]
Brandon Aiyuk did not have the huge night for which he will have hoped on Monday as the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Minnesota Vikings.
The 49ers' leading receiver from 2022 once again displayed an excellent rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy, but was limited to 57 yards on five catches in the 22-17 defeat.
It was a disappointing game for a receiver who has taken his game to another level when he has been healthy so far this season, with no wide receiver in the NFL matching his ability to get open.
ESPN made its wide receiver metrics publicly available on Tuesday, releasing ratings that use player-tracking data from NFL NextGen Stats to evaluate every route a pass catcher runs, scoring his performance in three phases of the game, from 0 to 99.
Through seven weeks, Aiyuk sits second in the NFL behind only Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown in overall score.
More impressively, though, Aiyuk is by far the highest-rated receiver in open score. Aiyuk has an open score of 99, with veteran Los Angeles Chargers wideout Keenan Allen his closest challenger (90).
That score can be interpreted as both a reflection of Aiyuk's proficiency to defeat man coverage and head coach Kyle Shanahan's success in scheming players open.
However, with Deebo Samuel out of action with a shoulder injury, it was somewhat surprising to see Aiyuk not have more of an impact as the 49ers suffered a second straight defeat.
Asked if the Vikings did anything to take Aiyuk away, Shanahan replied: "No, I mean, there were plays for him. They mixed up their coverages. Just the way it rolls sometimes."
Not every week will be a huge one for a receiver who had 100-yard performances in two of his first three games.
However, as the 5-2 Niners search for a way to right the ship after a damaging fortnight, it's clear San Francisco needs to do a better job of taking advantage of his so far unrivalled ability to defeat coverage and put him in a position to deliver a huge performance in the Week 8 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Talanoa Hufanga calls out lack of effort after 49ers drop second straight to Vikings
He was blunt in identifying the problem.
