Cameroon's Brandon Aiyuk shows why he's the heartbeat of the 49ers offense

There are (seemingly) more African defensive stars in the NFL than their offensive counterparts, but wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk continued to challenge that narrative after another standout performance for the San Francisco 49ers in their 35-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Meanwhile, there were strong defensive performances in week 4 from the likes of Foyesade Oluokun, Isaac Yiadom, Uchenna Nwosu, Nate Landman and Dayo Odeyingbo.

African Player of the Week: Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers)

The player who most 49ers fans will remember for his crowd-stealing moments against the Cardinals is running back Christian McCaffrey, who scored four touchdowns.

However, his work was made significantly easier by an astonishing performance from Aiyuk, who returned to action with a hugely impactful 148 receiving yards spread out across six receptions.

Aiyuk now has 17 total catches for the season, and remarkably, each one has either resulted in a touchdown or a first down - his two touchdowns coming in week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Aiyuk, who is of Cameroonian descent, picked up an injury against the LA Rams and missed the win over the New York Giants.

In the games against the Steelers and the Cardinals - the only two which he has seen out fully fit - he has led the NFL's best team so far this season in receiving yards - making a strong case for why he should be considered one of the best in the game at his position.

After the game, Aiyuk was asked by NBC Sports if he considered himself a top-10 receiver in the NFL and responded: "I think y'all know what I want to say my answer is.

'I'm just trying to go out there every single week and just, you know, put it on film every week. I might have an answer for you at the end of the season. We're just going to continue to handle business and play the game that we know how."

Africa Moment of the Week: Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers)

Like last week, we have little choice but to give Moment of the Week to the same player who was our standout performer. Truthfully, Aiyuk could have won the award six times over this week.

However, it was his catch from Brock Purdy's 42-yard pass in the second quarter which stood out above all others. It was not Purdy's best throw in what was overall a superb performance from him, but Aiyuk caught it with outstretched fingertips, fending off Jalen Thompson and Marco Wilson in the process.

Aiyuk's football intelligence was on full display as he made a number of pinpoint defense-splitting runs, including for another catch in the 49ers' first drive, which led to their first touchdown from McCaffrey shortly afterwards.

Honorable Mentions:

Dayo Odeyingbo had arguably his best performance ever for the Indianapolis Colts against the Los Angeles Rams, picking up seven tackles and 1.5 sacks. The Colts came back from 23-0 down to force the game to overtime, but ultimately lost 29-23.

Mo Alie-Cox's touchdown would have been a contender for Moment of the Week had it been a catalyst for a Colts victory, given that he is of Sierra Leonean descent, but it was not quite as significant in defeat as it would have been in a win.

Also a valiant performer in defeat, Isaac Yiadom, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, picked up six tackles and an interception for the New Orleans Saints against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Uchenna Nwosu, who is of Nigerian heritage, had another impressive game for the Seattle Seahawks against the New York Giants. Nwosu picked up six tackles and two sacks in a 24-3 victory.

The Giants' Bobby Okereke, also of Nigerian descent, made 10 tackles, but his game will be remembered mostly for his missed tackle on Noah Fant during his 51-yard run.

Africa-born Players Watch:

Overall, this was a quiet week for African-born players. Arguably the African-born Player of the Season so far, the Indianapolis Colts' Kwity Paye, suffered a concussion against the Rams.

Victor Dimukeje, who shone for the Arizona Cardinals last week against the Dallas Cowboys, had a less outstanding game against the San Francisco 49ers this time.

After their 70-20 thrashing of the Denver Broncos in week 3, the Miami Dolphins were brought back down to earth by the Buffalo Bills in a 48-20 defeat. Abidjan-born cornerback Kader Kohou had a day to forget as he was dominated one-on-one by Stefon Diggs.

Nate Landman, however, was one of the standouts in the Atlanta Falcons' defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The linebacker, who was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, posted 10 tackles and continues to grow week after week.

Landman, who played his college football at the Colorado Buffaloes, is the son of former Zimbabwe international rugby player Shaun Landman, but has spent most of his life in the United States.

Aged 24, he likely has his best years ahead of him and will be hungry for more after his career-high tackles total against the Jaguars.

The NFL airs on ESPN's channels in Africa.