Aiyuk plays role in win despite two big mistakes
Brandon Aiyuk saved his best for last Sunday night.
His worst? That came in the first quarter. Or perhaps it was the third quarter?
The San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver had an eventful evening, filled with big plays and potentially backbreaking mistakes, in a 22-16 win over the Chargers.
Aiyuk’s performance featured team highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (84). And his longest catch came at the biggest moment: His 24-yard grab led directly to running back Christian McCaffrey’s 2-yard, go-ahead scoring run midway through the fourth quarter.
However, Aiyuk also lost a fumble at the end of a 19-yard catch on the 49ers’ second possession that led to a short Chargers fieldgoal drive. Aiyuk also dropped a would-be 8-yard touchdown catch on 3rdand-goal in the third quarter with the 49ers trailing 16-10. As a result, the 49ers were forced to settle for a field goal.
Aiyuk, the owner of an impressive stat line, was left crediting the 49ers’ defense for allowing him to avoid the goat label: The 49ers allowed no points and 52 yards in the second half.
“It’s football,” Aiyuk said. “You never want to drop the ball. You never want to fumble. But the defense gave me an opportunity to go out there and be
able to make plays again. … Huge props to the defense so I didn’t have to live with that.”
Greenlaw ejected: The 49ers lost linebacker Dre Greenlaw to an ejection just before halftime when he was flagged for unnecessary roughness after his helmet-to-helmet hit on quarterback Justin Herbert at the end of a 5-yard scramble.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he was surprised Greenlaw was ejected, meaning his hit was deemed to be intentional and flagrant.
“I didn’t think so at all,” Shanahan said. “It kind of actually blew my mind. I understand the penalty. I totally get that. … There has to be intent and something unnecessary (for an ejection).
And that was a big play right there for us to lose Greenlaw for the (rest of) the game. That really shocked me.”
NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson told a pool reporter that Greenlaw’s hit was a “flagrant act.” Greenlaw hit Herbert as he was falling down after being tackled from behind by linebacker Fred Warner.
“The timing, the manner in which the player had an opportunity to make other choices and to make a different decision — those all go into factoring whether something is flagrant,” Anderson said. “Those are just some of the factors that are considered.”
Briefly: Rookie wide receiver Danny Gray suffered an ankle injury in pregame
warm-ups, Shanahan said. Gray did not play. … Safety Tashaun Gipson (foot) and defensive Charles Omenihu (shoulder) returned after briefly leaving the game. … Defensive end Samson Ebukam missed a game for the first time after opening his six-season career by playing in 89 straight. Ebukam didn’t practice after he suffered a quadriceps injury Nov. 7. … Rookie running back Ty Davis-Price, a third-round pick, was inactive. Undrafted rookie Jordan Mason served as the No. 3 back behind McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell.