SF 49ers: 3 silver linings from otherwise ugly Week 9 loss to Packers
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Takeaway No. 2: Richie James has a career-best game
Perhaps Kyle Shanahan was making a mistake all along over the past two-plus years by not inserting wide receiver Richie James into the lineup more.
Sure, Shanahan would much rather have receivers Kendrick Bourne, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel all available instead of having to rely heavily on James and a cadre of other reserve wideouts, including two players called up from the practice squad, River Cracraft and Kevin White.
But at least James was a star in what was otherwise an abysmal passing game for San Francisco.
James never had more than 60 receiving yards in a game before Week 9, and he finished with nine grabs for a career-best 184 yards and a 47-yard touchdown:
A career-best day for @Senseispunk. #TNF: https://t.co/C0YeIq7Q3o pic.twitter.com/p6S4JINLed
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 6, 2020
Sure, many of James’ receiving totals came when the Packers were well out to a big lead. And his touchdown was mostly against Green Bay’s backups anyway.
Still, the receiver made a statement for himself and should see an uptick in attention in the coming weeks.