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Brandon Aiyuk is in the midst of putting together a monster rookie season. His performance in Week 14 vs. Washington might’ve been his best yet, and it put him alongside Jerry Rice in the 49ers’ history books.
Aiyuk against Washington became the focal point of San Francisco’s offense after wide receiver Deebo Samuel exited with a hamstring injury on the first snap of the game. He was targeted 16 times and hauled in 10 throws for 119 yards.
Rice is the only other 49ers rookie wide receiver to pull in 10 receptions in a game. He posted 10 catches for 241 yards in a 49ers loss to the Rams in 1985. Both games came in Week 14 of their respective years.
Running back Earl Cooper is the only other 49ers rookie with a 10-catch game.
Aiyuk’s 119 yards marked his second 100-yard receiving game of the year – tied with Rice and Dave Parks for the second-most by a 49ers rookie. Deebo Samuel had three last season. With Samuel likely out awhile, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Aiyuk pass that mark too.
Overall the No. 25 pick is putting together a tremendous rookie campaign. He’s up to 59 receptions for 660 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He also has 61 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Aiyuk is on track to lead the 49ers in receptions and receiving yards, and could lead them in touchdown catches by the end of the year as well.
Next up for Aiyuk is Rice’s rookie record for receiving yards. He posted 927 his first year. Aiyuk is at 660 with three games to play – just 267 off the pace. He needs to average 89 yards per game the rest of the way to get there.
It’s a long shot that Aiyuk is going to be as good as Rice, but the 49ers needed the ASU product to be a productive player, and chasing down rookie records set by one of the best NFL players in history is a pretty good start.