Things have started to get spooky early for Brandon Aiyuk this year.
The 49ers wide receiver was so intimidated by his performance against the Jets in Week 1 that he admitted he was “scared” to watch tape of the game on “Monday Night Football.”
“I hadn't seen the film until this morning. It was really scary,” Aiyuk told reporters on Wednesday.
Still, he said things didn't end up as bad as he initially thought.
“But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.”
Aiyuk had just two catches for 28 yards in San Francisco's blowout win over the Jets, but the wide receiver stood out for plays he didn't make.
He dropped a beautiful pass in the corner of the end zone on a would-be touchdown from Brock Purdy with 12 seconds left in the quarter.
The drop was so bad that Peyton Manning, on ESPN's “Manningcast,” blamed Aiyuk for missing it.
He suggested Aiyuk's lengthy strike, which finally ended on August 29 and kept him away from the training ground, was a major reason for the demotion.
“Training camp is for a reason! We need it! We need to practice!” Manning said. “Let's get this signed early so we can get to training camp and not blow up on Opening Day.”
Aiyuk now has a $120 million contract extension in hand and will be hoping to turn things around in Week 2 on Sunday against the Vikings.
“This is a short week so we're going to plan carefully for today, tomorrow and the game,” he told reporters.
