49ers All-Pro wide receiver looks to be (finally) back in form

Part of the San Francisco 49ers' inconsistency in the opening weeks of the 2024 season has been down to the erratic play of their star players.

Not only has running back Christian McCaffrey been missing entirely, but pass catchers Deebo Samuel and George Kittle have also been limited by injury. Quarterback Brock Purdy has battled manfully and put up some incredible numbers in the process, but there's no doubt his job would've been easier if all the team's offensive talent was at the peak of its powers.

Perhaps no one exemplifies that more, though, than wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Aiyuk had a difficult start to the season, including several high-profile drops, criticism of his poor play, and a stinging rebuke from a Hall of Fame quarterback during the Monday Night Football season opener.

It was hard to argue with any of the critiques, as it was pretty clear from the first snaps of the opening game that Aiyuk's decision to "hold in" throughout training camp had hurt his rapport with the rest of the team's offense, particularly his chemistry with Purdy.

Fortunately, it seems like it might have kicked back in again at just the right moment.

Through the first quarter in Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, Aiyuk has registered four catches for 91 yards (on five targets), which are already by a large margin, his season highs on the stat sheet. The highlight was likely an explosive 53-yard catch and run on his first grab of the game, which might well have gone for a touchdown if he had been able to get a better angle on the pursuing defensive back.

More pleasingly, however, he has found himself making tough catches, including an excellent high-point grab on a key third down that helped out an under-pressure Purdy.

As Aiyuk reaches his potential, so will the 49ers offense, so it's incredibly pleasing to see Aiyuk looking back in form as the season begins to gain momentum.

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