WCF Film Room: Jauan Jennings big day, Brandon Aiyuk's role, and what's the deal with Aiyuk anyways?
We look at how Aiyuk played a key role in Jennings career day plus what do the other Aiyuk passing targets tell us?
The 49ers dropped their second straight game this season 27-24 to Los Angeles Rams in week three. At one point though, they led 21-7 and a late defensive collapse paved the way for the Rams to take their first lead of the game with just two seconds remaining in regulation. The offense looked stagnant outside of three touchdown drives capped off by Jauan Jennings each time.
Late in the game, Jake Moody missed a 55-yard field goal attempt that would’ve given the 49ers a 27-17 lead and might have secured the win. Instead the Rams got the ball back and were in scoring position within one play when Matthew Stafford connected on a 50+-yard deep ball to Tutu Atwell. Later on the next drive, Ronnie Bell dropped a beautiful deep pass that Purdy slightly under-threw to give his receiver a chance. That all but sealed their fate.
In fact, dropped passes ruled the day for the 49ers offense with Bell dropping two passes, Brandon Aiyuk dropping one pass, and Jennings dropping a pass. Jennings stole the show though with this three-touchdown-175-yard performance on 11 catches. It was the 14th most in a game in 49ers franchise history.
Meanwhile, Aiyuk only managed to catch five for 48 (on 10 targets), leaving many fans to scratch their heads in wonder and questioning why the 49ers ever paid Aiyuk that $30 million per year contract. There’s a reason why, and the Rams showed it all over the game tape. Despite that, he was still getting open but him and Purdy just weren’t connecting due to misfires, penalties, and pressures given up by the offensive line.
While what Jennings did was no doubt a phenomenal performance, it was due at least in part to what the Rams chose to do to defend Aiyuk. You cannot tell the story of Jennings career day without also seeing what the Rams were doing to Aiyuk. The attention the Rams gave Aiyuk is a big reason Jennings was so wide open on most of the big plays.
Let’s dive into the tape and see how.
Rams devote outsized attention to Aiyuk in passing game
On the very first touchdown drive of the game the 49ers got the look and reaction they wanted from the defense as this was all Kyle Shanahan design creating stress on the backend. They’re running a packaged run-pass option concept with a toss play, a backside slant, and a seam route as the 3rd progression.
The Rams are keying on the run portion of the concept with five down linemen and no overhang defender. This triggers Brock to look next to Aiyuk out on the quick slant. The middle of the field safety overcommits to the slant because it’s Aiyuk and his corner is alone 1-on-1. This opened a huge hole in the middle of the field for Jennings to catch his first touchdown pass of the game.
Later in the game on Jennings next touchdown pass, the play was made possible not only by Purdy delivering an accurate, on-time throw, and Jennings selling the quick out stem, but also by Aiyuk’s deep crosser grabbing two defenders with it.
On this dig-wheel concept from a 3x1 formation, Aiyuk is lined up as the #2 receiver in the trips formation to the left, he is running the dig route with Jennings as the #3 receiver inside running a wheel route behind him.
The Rams are playing man-free single high coverage behind a 5-man pressure. Aiyuk’s dig route draws the attention of the not only his defender, but the deep safety as well, and prevents him from getting over the top to defend the wheel. You can see him get caught looking flat-footed at Aiyuk’s route as Jennings comes open.
Purdy is also winding up to throw the ball before Jennings breaks up the field. And watch Jennings. He sells the quick out with a look back at the quarterback that gets his defender to bite with a step toward the route before Jennings clears out up the field. Football is a TEAM sport and nowhere is this more evident than on this play.
The tape is littered with these kinds of plays from the Rams defense shading coverage to Aiyuk and opening windows to Jennings. Again here, Aiyuk draws cloud coverage (underneath squat technique corner and safety over the top) and the weak hook defender’s zone drop is shaded his way also, opening a window just long enough for Purdy to hit Jennings.
Again, though, team sport, Jennings goes down and catches an accurate ball that Purdy put low to protect him from the hit from three defenders.
And here, Aiyuk’s route pulls three defenders to it, with the critical defender being the middle linebacker who vacated his middle hook zone where Jennings catches this pass.
Jennings big day wasn’t all because of Aiyuk or Purdy though, and Jennings still had to make difficult catches like the one above and he absolutely “Mossed” a defender in what may well be the catch of the year so far.
The Rams are in cover-6 across with cover-2 to the top of the screen and quarters to the bottom. Aiyuk isn’t on the field here but Chris Conley is, who boasts a 4.35 40-yard dash, and he takes the top off the defense, drawing the deep safety and corner covering him on the deep post. Jennings, running the deep over route, gets behind the quarters safety and has nothing but grass.
But Colton McKivitz gives too much ground to the defensive end, forcing Purdy to escape and make a throw off-platform. As a result, Purdy’s pass hangs but Jennings elevates over the top of the defender and grabs the ball before the safety can get hands on it.
Brandon Aiyuk and separation/getting open
The narrative around Aiyuk these last few weeks is that he’s not in game shape, not playing well, and not getting open. Now, did Aiyuk have the best game? No, he dropped a pass early in the first quarter and he couldn’t make an extremely difficult catch on a pass behind him that the defender actually got his hands on anyways, but he was getting open on the vast majority of plays and he did have 10 targets but some passes were off target.
Speaking of Colton McKivitz…there were also other plays where Purdy looked to Aiyuk to throw to as the first or second read in the progression but he didn’t get the ball because Purdy was pressured and forced to scramble. Aiyuk could’ve had at least 13-14 targets in this one. He nearly caught a beautiful deep ball from Purdy but was held and the timing was off.
And he was open on a play late in the 4th quarter on a busted coverage, but Purdy never saw him and didn’t want to risk the pass according to Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan on his conference call on Tuesday with the media said the Rams busted their coverage on this play and Aiyuk ran to the void like he’s taught but Brock didn’t have a clear picture of the bust by the corner who is supposed to take the deep half.
He said Aiyuk’s initial route was a deep curl they call a “dig” and the Rams are playing “cover-2 sky weak",” a weak side safety rotation down to the flat with the corner bailing to the deep half.
Here he’s running a quick slant over the middle and Purdy probably could’ve gotten him the ball but he had pressure when he came to that read and had to escape.
On the play above, Purdy fumbled because McKivitz got beat around the edge but Aiyuk is open again with about four yards of separation and it looks like that’s where Purdy wanted to go had the right tackle done his job.
It could’ve been a big gain on a drive before half that ended with some points.
Aiyuk also drew two penalties, one defensive holding when he pulled away from Tre White early in the first quarter, and a pass interference penalty on a deep out route that Purdy missed the completion on because the right tackle getting parked into his lap as he tried to throw. As a result, Purdy could not follow through with his throwing motion and the pass sailed.
And then Purdy just misfired on some because the offensive line got pushed into his lap and allowed pressure to affect the throw. Not much you can expect Purdy to do when he has 1) a lineman in his lap or 2) a defender in his face. One of them was just airmailed.
Outlook
This is all a part of the game. Players and the scheme the coach devises to get guys open, and guys accepting their role when things don’t go their way. Jennings had a huge day and no one can take that from him. Aiyuk also could have but you can see that the targets were not quality targets for one reason or another. That’s apart of the game and it happens from time to time.
But it would be misleading to say Aiyuk had a bad game or wasn’t open when the tape shows otherwise. Purdy and Aiyuk will find their rhythm. The offensive line won’t always allow bad pressures. And the targets will continue because this team and this offense desperately needs it while the other stars get healthy.