Brock Purdy explains why 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk is struggling

SANTA CLARA – Brandon Aiyuk’s numbers have dropped significantly.

You could say he’s rusty from missing the entire offseason, and that’s true. But his numbers also declined in the playoffs last season. He caught just nine passes in three playoff games. And so far in four games this season, he has only 13 catches. That means he’s averaging just three catches per game since January.

Apparently, opposing defenses have adjusted to how the 49ers use Aiyuk. And Brock Purdy noticed.

“I mean, I feel like he’s definitely a guy that when the defense is planning our offense, they need to circle No. 11 and know that if you leave him alone one-on-one, he’s going to be a target at some point “the game,” Purdy said Thursday. “And so they do their best to tarnish him, put a safety over the top and double him and so on. But you know, for us it’s football. We still have a lot of options to get him the ball and stuff. And that’s something that we’re still finding with the schedules and other things throughout the week. We’re still finding a way to make it work. So I know we’re going to get him a lot of goals and plays, so we’re excited about that.”

TRANSLATION: For the first time in his career, teams are focusing most of their attention on Aiyuk, and he’s not responding like a real no. 1 receiver should. Additionally, he sets up one-on-one duels for other players like Jauan Jennings, so there is absolutely no reason to force the ball on Aiyuk.

He is the most expensive decoy in football.

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