Golden Nuggets: Brandon Aiyuk was motivated by lack of playing time in Week 1

Your daily San Francisco 49ers links for Saturday, September 18, 2021

The good news is Javon Kinlaw practiced. The bad news is Emmanuel Moseley won’t play. Here was the injury report from Friday:

OUT

LB Dre Greenlaw (core muscle)

DOUBTFUL

CB Emmanuel Moseley (knee)

QUESTIONABLE

DT Javon Kinlaw (knee)

DT Arik Armstead (adductor)

S/LB Marcell Harris (oblique)

Aiyuk using Week 1 as motivation for rest of 49ers’ season

“Definitely [surprised], but that was last week,” Aiyuk said. “Not really focused on that anymore. Another task at hand this week. Worried about that more than anything.”

“Being clean and what I have to do in my assignment,” Aiyuk said. “Controlling what I can control, effort, everything about myself really. That’s the main thing.”

“I’ve already started to understand in this league that it’s never a steady path to the top,” Aiyuk said. “You’re going to have really high moments, low moments. I think it’s all about how you refocus, rebalance and get back on track afterwards.

“That’s how I look at it, as an opportunity as extra motivation to come back out here and get refocused, back in line and continue to move forward.”

Aiyuk one of five 49ers to watch vs. Eagles in Week 2

4. CB Deommodore Lenoir

Rookie Deommodore Lenoir earned his way into the starting lineup for Week 1 with the idea that he would soon be heading to a backup role in the 49ers’ secondary.

Now, he has a chance to be a starter for a long, long time.

Lenoir took over for Emmanuel Moseley (knee), whose availability for Sunday’s game remains in doubt. Even when Moseley returns, Lenior’s starting role could be there for the long term with Jason Verrett out for the season with a torn ACL.

Lenoir played all 90 snaps against the Lions. He was rarely tested. Jared Goff completed one of three passes in which he targeted Lenoir. The Eagles are likely to test the rookie Sunday.

49ers say Trey Sermon will be active this weekend

It will include third-round pick Trey Sermon. Sermon was a healthy scratch in the opener, but offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said that will change after the rookie showed “extra aggressiveness” on the practice field this week.

“So what that told me is, ‘Hey, I didn’t like not dressing. I want to play football. So how do I do that? I don’t go and talk to people. I show people,’” McDaniel said, via Matt Barrows of TheAthletic.com. “That’s kind of the common denominator. Kyle always says to the players and coaches, ‘Don’t tell me, show me.’ And [Sermon] showed, I think, all of us that he really wants an opportunity, which he’ll get this Sunday.”

NFL Week 2 bold predictions: Eagles beat 49ers to start 2-0; Derrick Henry runs over Seahawks

Nate Burleson: The Eagles were one of the more pleasant surprises in Week 1, beating the Falcons, 32-6, and now they have a chance to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016. Thanks to a jaw-dropping, five-touchdown effort (three passing, two rushing) from Jalen Hurts, the Eagles get the job done vs. a respected 49ers team.

The 49ers Believe In The Magic Of Pre-Snap Motion

And if Week 1 is any indication, Shanahan intends to take things to an entirely new level in 2021. On Sunday versus the Detroit Lions, the 49ers registered their highest rate of pre-snap motion in a single game since Shanahan became head coach and notched the second highest share of play-action in a game during his tenure, running fakes on over half of the Niners’ offensive plays. Both marks were far and away the highest of the week in the NFL, with the play-action rate (51.9 percent of plays) more than double the league average (24) and the motion rate (87.3) nearly double the league average (45.3).