Jimmy
The 49ers’ offense has missed Deebo Samuel during their three-game losing streak, but it seems that they will have him back soon.
Deebo Samuel missed the San Francisco 49ers’ games against the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals in Weeks 7 and 8. He had a shoulder injury during the team’s Week 6 loss to the Cleveland Browns. A CT scan later revealed that he had a hairline fracture in his left shoulder, and he was expected to be out for at least two games.
While the 49ers’ “wide back” is going to be checked again after this week’s break, he shared a positive update on Thursday’s episode of the “Up & Adams” show.
“I am ready to go,” Samuel, joined by his son Tyshun, cheerfully told Adams when asked for a health update.
That’s great news for the 49ers fans. They have seen the quarterback Brock Purdy and the rest of San Francisco’s offense lose three games in a row without Samuel. Although Purdy has performed well in each loss, mistakes in the late stages of the game on offense, along with defensive lapses, have prevented the 49ers from winning in the past three weeks.
According to Next Gen Stats, when Samuel is on the field, Purdy has an 8-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season. But when Samuel is absent, Purdy’s ratio drops to 4-5. With Samuel, Purdy has a 71.1% completion rate, while without him, it’s 64.6%. Additionally, there is a significant difference in Purdy’s passer rating with and without Samuel as an option.
Given those statistics, it is clear that the wide receiver has a significant impact when he is playing and his presence greatly influences the outcome of the game. Despite the difficulties the 49ers have experienced in his absence, Samuel believes that his team will be able to overcome the challenges they faced in October, especially considering their strong performance at the beginning of the 2023 NFL season.
“I don’t think the locker room has changed,” Samuel told Adams. He mentioned that the team had a meeting on Tuesday. Samuel emphasized the importance of self-accountability and stated that even though the coaches criticize them, the players need to criticize themselves even more. He expressed disappointment in the team losing three consecutive games, as that does not align with their culture and values.
“It’s great that we have a break in the middle of the season. This allows us to recharge and be prepared to continue our journey towards our goals.”
That place the 49ers want to be is raising the Vince Lombardi Trophy in February. With Samuel back, it will be much easier for San Francisco to achieve this.
