Why Brandon Aiyuk Could Have a Breakout Game Against the Falcons

Attention has been brought about the lack of production from Brandon Aiyuk to Kyle Shanahan much like with George Kittle last week

When Kyle Shanahan was asked last week about the underutilization of George Kittle as a receiver, Shanahan essentially said, "It will take care of itself."

Then on the very first play against the Panthers, Shanahan dialed up a play with Kittle as the primary target. There was a clear concerted effort to get Kittle the ball early on and involved in the offense until he fumbled. Even though he didn't have a major impact as a receiver, just getting him involved was enough to keep the offense balanced. 

This week, it is Brandon Aiyuk who is being questioned with his stats. 2022 was supposed to be his breakout season, but with Trey Lance out for the year, he loses that potential. However, Aiyuk is still talented to have a few games where he can look like a dominant player even with Jimmy Garoppolo. 

And I believe the 49ers' Week 6 matchup against the Falcons will be a game where he breaks out.

Attention has been brought about the lack of production from Aiyuk to Shanahan much like with Kittle last week. I'm banking on Shanahan giving Aiyuk the Kittle treatment against the Falcons, which is getting him the ball early and often. Shanahan would be wise to do so. Get other players not named Deebo Samuel involved the passing game. Not only can it setup future big plays for Samuel by keeping a defense more honest, but it will give Garoppolo a better feel for his other skill players. That will go a long way.

"Everyone expects numbers based off of guys playing well and it just doesn't always work that way," said Shanahan on Wednesday. "B.A.'s been playing really good. I thought he had his best game versus Carolina, his second-best game the week before, but the ball doesn't always go that way. It didn't get to Deebo that much, it didn't get to B.A. that much. I think we ran it 30 times. George got a little bit, but his times will come."

Keyphrase here is "his time will come," which is similar to "it will take care of itself" with Kittle last week. It is almost like Shanahan is foreshadowing again like how he did with Kittle. Hopefully that is the case. Aiyuk is an incredible player just waiting for that huge production game. If the 49ers can get some games under his belt where he can carry some of the offensive burden, then it will make the offense more efficient down the line when defenses commit to stopping Samuel.

The Falcons defense isn't all that great aside from Grady Jarrett and A.J. Terrell, so it is the perfect setup for Aiyuk to breakout. It's now on Shanahan to get those designed plays in with Aiyuk as the primary and to get it into Garoppolo's head that Aiyuk needs to be targeted.