Niners Nation
Progress is not often linear in the NFL, and few players on the 49ers have embodied that reality more than Ji’Ayir Brown in recent years.
With three interceptions, including an outstanding pick of Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl 58, in his first seven games across the regular season and playoffs after being promoted to the starting lineup in place of the injured Talanoa Hufanga in his rookie year of 2023, Brown appeared set to quickly establish himself as a reliable and impactful starter in the 49er secondary.
But it was not that straightforward for the third-rounder, who was the 49ers’ top pick in 2023, as he endured a step back in 2024 and was in and out of the lineup amid Hufanga’s return and the emergence of Malik Mustapha.
A consistent target of external criticism, scrutiny of Brown’s play has continued this season as he has produced some inconsistent play.
But, in the 49ers’ key Monday Night Football showdown with the Carolina Panthers, Brown was a standout as he proved crucial to San Francisco improving to 8-4.
On a night that saw the offense hamstrung by its own quarterback with Brock Purdy throwing three interceptions, Brown was a key contributor to the 49ers’ best defensive performance of the season, picking off two Bryce Young passes as the Panthers were restricted to just nine points.
Brown saved a touchdown when he dropped to the back of the endzone to intercept a Young throw intended for tight end Mitchell Evans, preventing the Panthers from cashing in on an instant redzone trip after Purdy’s first pick.
It was an extremely savvy play from Brown, who initially appeared to be guarding against a run from Young as he rolled to his right, one representative of the instincts that were apparent on his college tape and in his rookie year.
He followed that up with a more straightforward interception on the Panthers’ penultimate drive of the game, snagging a Young throw over the middle with the aid of an apparent hold by Renardo Green on Tetairoa McMillan that went unnoticed by the officials.
Despite the criticism, Brown has been a regular feature in the lineup from Week 6 onwards having initially had to play second fiddle to rookie Marques Sigle and Jason Pinnock. His critical contributions to the win over Carolina served as the ideal way to vindicate his place on the defense, and naturally were the subject of widespread praise.
“He was awesome,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Brown. “We’ll see more on the tape, but it felt like it was his best game as a Niner. Think he’s been playing at a high level here for a while, but those two picks were huge and looked like he made a number of good tackles too.”
Tight end George Kittle added:
“The thing I love about Tig is he works really hard every single day and I respect the hell out of him for that. We all...
