Brandon Aiyuk vs. Kevin King is a matchup 49ers must exploit

The 49ers will seek ways to take advantage of a questionable Packers defense in Week 3, and putting Brandon Aiyuk against Kevin King should work.

The San Francisco 49ers should look to accomplish a lot of things during their Week 3 prime-time Sunday Night Football matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Yet there’s a twofold item on the to-do list, headlined by the reality head coach Kyle Shanahan needs to get his second-year wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, involved in the offense much more than he has been over the first two weeks of the season.

Aiyuk, who was hobbled with a hamstring injury during training camp, saw precisely zero passes thrown in his direction during the Niners’ Week 1 game against the Detroit Lions before being targeted only twice in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, catching one of those passes for a mere 6 yards.

Even while San Francisco has received league-leading production from fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel over the first two weeks, getting a complementary option going should be high on Shanahan’s to-do list this Sunday.

Turns out, there’s a juicy opportunity for it to happen against Green Bay.

Brandon Aiyuk vs. Kevin King is a juicy matchup for 49ers

Of the two boundary cornerbacks who’ll face off against the 49ers this Sunday, Jaire Alexander and Kevin King, the latter is the one Shanahan will want to go after the most.

True, matching up Samuel against King would be a great strategy. Yet the Packers are likely to counter by shadowing the NFL’s leading receiver with Alexander, the 2020 Pro Bowler, who’s again off to a hot start this season.

King, on the other hand, has seen his seemingly yearly struggles continue early into 2021.

Through two games, King has surrendered six catches on seven targets for a total of 153 yards and a touchdown allowed, giving opposing quarterbacks a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeting him.

Related Story: Brandon Aiyuk needs more targets in Week 3 vs. Packers

It’s not like this is a mere anomaly either. Last season, King allowed quarterbacks to complete 63.2 percent of passes thrown his way when he was in coverage. In 2019, King was credited with allowing 864 yards and four touchdowns, too.

So, if Alexander is going to be primarily responsible for covering Samuel, it’s time for Shanahan to put Aiyuk in a situation where he can get going, matching up opposite a player like King, who has been one of those vulnerable pieces within Green Bay’s secondary.

The Niners and Packers kick off Sunday Night Football on Sept. 26 at 8:20 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium.