For What Reason Will He Say San Francisco 49ers Is Doomed
Even without star wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the 49ers survived to defeat the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in the NFC divisional playoff round.
But can San Francisco win again without Samuel, this time against the Detroit Lions in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium?
If No. 19 can’t go due to the shoulder injury he sustained against Green Bay, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes the 49ers will be in serious trouble against the Lions.
“The San Francisco 49ers are not beating the Detroit Lions without Deebo Samuel,” Smith declared during Monday’s episode of “First Take.”
Samuel left Saturday’s game against Green Bay with just over five minutes remaining in the first quarter after injuring the same left shoulder he fractured against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6, which caused the 28-year-old to miss three weeks of activity.
Samuel’s absence caused quarterback Brock Purdy and coach Kyle Shanahan to scramble and adjust the 49ers’ playbook against the Packers, calling on other players to step up — a process that proved to be difficult despite San Francisco’s advancement.
While no injury updates are fun, Samuel’s seem promising. Shanahan on Monday told reporters there wasn’t a break in Samuel’s shoulder, but San Francisco is being patient with the wideout.
“It wasn’t broken, so that was a real good sign,” Shanahan said. “But he’s still hurting too much for us to really have an idea how it’s going to heal up this week. So we got to be patient and see how he feels on Wednesday. Based off if it’s improving, it’ll give us a better idea if he has a chance for the game or not.”
If Samuel can play, he’ll provide a huge boost that San Francisco yearned for against Green Bay.
In the wideout’s last game against the Lions, he caught nine passes for 189 yards and a score in Detroit.
The Lions do not want to see No. 19 on the gridiron with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line.
Deebo Samuel’s status figures to be a major storyline this week as the 49ers prepare to face the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship game on Sunday in Santa Clara.
Coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday afternoon said the wide receiver did not sustain a fractured shoulder, which increases his chances of being available for the biggest game of the season.
The 49ers face the Lions on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line.
“It wasn’t broken, so that was a real good sign,” Shanahan said Monday on a conference call with Bay Area reporters.
“But he’s still hurting too much for us to really have an idea how it’s going to heal up this week. So we got to be patient and see how he feels on Wednesday. Based off if it’s improving, it’ll give us a better idea if he has a chance for the game or not.”
Samuel’s versatility is unique, so both teams must prepare for scenarios in which he does or does not see action.
“If we know he’s not available, which hopefully we would know that Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, at least in those three days, then it makes it easier at least from a game-plan standpoint. You don’t have to do much,” Shanahan said.
“But if there’s any chance, which I think we’ll know by Wednesday, obviously there’ll be things in there for him.”
The 49ers have a day off on Tuesday before holding their first full practice of the week on Wednesday at the team’s Santa Clara headquarters.
Samuel sustained an injury on the 49ers’ fourth play from scrimmage Saturday night against the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs. After catching a short pass from quarterback Brock Purdy, Samuel picked up 9 yards and was fighting for additional yardage when Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander arrived and delivered a direct hit to his left shoulder.
Samuel initially was evaluated for a head injury and was cleared to return to the game, but did not have any more touches in his limited action.
He played a total of nine snaps in the game, and was ruled out of action with a shoulder injury as the 49ers returned to the field for the opening of the second half.
Samuel told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan that he was “OK,” however the fact Samuel was unable to return to action for the second half of a playoff game was proof that he was not all right to continue to play.
This is the second injury this season to Samuel’s left shoulder, as he was removed from a Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns. It was later discovered he sustained a hairline fracture, which caused him to miss the next two games. He returned to action four weeks after the injury, as the 49ers had their bye week during that time.
Samuel, of course, is a huge part of the 49ers’ offense, having caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season while adding 225 yards and five touchdowns on 37 rushing attempts.
Samuel is the second player in NFL history to register at least 4,000 yards receiving and 1,000 yards rushing in the first five seasons of his career. Hall of Famer Charley Taylor, who played from 1964 to ’77 with Washington, was the first player to accomplish that achieve that receiving-rushing milestone.