Just about everything went right for the San Francisco 49ers in their 32–19 win over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
Aside from the debacle surrounding running back Christian McCaffrey's injury, the only blemish from San Francisco's win was an uncharacteristic performance from star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk, who held out of training camp and preseason in search of a new contract—which he signed on Aug. 30—finished the game with just two receptions for 28 yards on five targets. It was just the second time in his last 20 games that Aiyuk logged less than 30 receiving yards.
"After the game, I didn't watch the film until this morning," Aiyuk said. "I was a little bit scared to watch it."
“After the game I didn’t watch the film until this morning. I was a little bit scared to watch it but (it was) not as bad as I thought.”
— KNBR (@KNBR) September 11, 2024
Brandon Aiyuk on his first game of the season not quite feeling right on Monday night. pic.twitter.com/iyflsObfYf
His worst mistake of the night was dropping a potential 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brock Purdy in the second quarter. Peyton Manning, who was commenting on the game on ESPN's Manningcast, ripped Aiyuk for dropping the ball after missing so many practices this summer.
"Get those contracts done earlier so we can get in training camp and we don’t drop balls on opening night," Manning stated.
Peyton Manning FIRED UP about Brandon Aiyuk's dropped pass in the endzone. #ManningCast pic.twitter.com/OYBn8bMZKv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 10, 2024
Still, the season is young. Aiyuk will get a chance at redemption on Sunday during the 49ers' Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
