Understandably, there was no shortage of doom and gloom for the San Francisco 49ers entering their Week 5 Thursday Night Football showdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
Especially when looking at just how paper-thin the wide receiver room was.
With top wideouts Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings ruled out with injuries, the remaining crop of pass catchers featured unknowns and proverbial "has beens." Including one, Kendrick Bourne, whose return to the Bay Area after a lengthy tenure with the New England Patriots was scarred by a three-drop performance the week prior in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One can only wonder how the outcome of that game would have gone if Bourne would have held onto at least one of those passes.
Either way, the urgency of the situation put immense pressure on Bourne to rebound nicely in prime time.
Turns out, "rebounding" is quite the understatement.
10 catches. 142 yards.
Kendrick Bourne BALLED OUT. pic.twitter.com/eXCLa7FGzZ
— NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2025
Bourne's performance in the 26-23 overtime win at SoFI -- 10 catches for 142 yards with a long of 35 yards -- reflected that of a Pro Bowl-type performance, and there's no doubting the outcome would have been wholly different without such production.
Granted, Bourne's prior chemistry with the Niners' starting quarterback on the night, Mac Jones, helped. The two's relationship dated back to 2021 when they both were with the New England Patriots, and that chemistry was on full display throughout the evening.
For Bourne, though, erasing the tough memories from the previous week was vital in being able to bounce back.
"Last week was very tough on me," Bourne admitted to reporters after the win over LA. "Just the adversity I went through and the standard I hold myself to and the things I want to do for my teammates, first and foremost, for the fans, for the organization. I hold myself to a higher standard, so that was tough."
His candid response was assuredly made easier in light of the bounce-back performance, though.
"Whether it's good, bad, it's a mental thing," Bourne added. "So, how do I work within that while I'm playing? And I think that's what I learned from last week is how to flush the good, flush the bad. I know how to do it, but week to week is different, and every situation is different."
Putting it bluntly, San Francisco needed Bourne to step up as WR with both Pearsall and Jennings out.
Bourne responded, and then some.