San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel suffered a left shoulder injury and was ruled out of Saturday’s 24-21 Divisional Round win against the Green Bay Packers.
After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan did not have an immediate update on Samuel.
“He said, ‘I don’t know yet,’ regarding the severity of the injury, which was similar to what Samuel experienced earlier in the season against the Cleveland Browns. ‘We’ll see tomorrow,’ he added.
Samuel was injured during the 49ers’ second drive, subsequently heading to the locker room for an assessment and being labelled as questionable. He reappeared for the second half in casual attire, signaling his non-return to the game. Shortly after, following a three-and-out on the offense’s first drive, the team announced he was out.
The Niners’ wide receiver had earlier been assessed for a potential head injury following a hit he took while making a catch during the team’s initial drive.
He recovered from that injury, just to endure another one.
Samuel left the game having made two catches for 24 yards, with San Francisco leading 7-3.
During the regular season, he achieved 60 catches for 892 yards and seven touchdowns over 15 games. The Niners lost both games that Samuel was absent from, contributing to a three-game losing streak that started when Samuel injured his shoulder in a Week 6 loss to the Browns.
Instead of following that trend, San Francisco relied on its other dynamic playmakers.
Christian McCaffrey ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner, while George Kittle led the team with 81 yards and also added a score on four catches.
Both contributed to the Niners’ comeback victory, securing their place in the NFC Championship Game for the third consecutive season.
It remains to be seen whether Samuel will be available for that or not.
