Last season, the 49ers were 30th in pass rate and spread the ball around when they did go to the air. Brandon Aiyuk led the team with 105 targets, but Deebo Samuel Jr. had 89, George Kittle received 90 and Christian McCaffrey garnered 83. Aiyuk only had one game with at least 10 targets, but he exceeded 100 yards seven times.
Through four games, Aiyuk has a total of 167 yards. What’s wrong?
Aiyuk is still leading the team with 116 routes and is second with 25 targets. Average yards per target is a healthy 12.4. Last season, that number was 12.9. He’s second on the team with 23.9% air yards share.
The catch rate, though, is a paltry 52% with an 8% drop rate. Last season, the catch rate was 71.4% and he’s never been below 62% until now. As for the drop rate, it was 2.9% last season and has never been above 4.5%.
It’s early in the season. Let’s not forgot that Aiyuk didn’t practice much over the offseason and the 49ers offense is still trying to find its groove. Not having Christian McCaffrey on the field changes things big time and makes it easier for defenses to converge on the pass catchers. The 49ers have also dealt with injuries to Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Jauan Jennings has balled out and deserved targets.
In addition, the early-season schedule hasn’t been a picnic. The Jets have allowed the second-lowest passing success rate and have Sauce Gardner, Michael Carter II and DJ Reed at cornerback. The Vikings have allowed a Pass EPA of -48.7, the best mark in the league. The Patriots have Christian Gonzalez, one of the best young cornerbacks in the leagues. The Rams have….fine, no excuse there but no Deebo or Kittle in that one.
There are reasons why the 49ers gave Aiyuk $120 million over four years, though. He is one of the best receivers in the game. It’s only a matter of time before the sky stops falling and we can all return to the regularly scheduled programming. Just in case y’all forgot….
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