Despite a shoulder injury he suffered in the divisional round of the playoffs versus the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel will play in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
The 49ers will take on the Detroit Lions at Levi’s Stadium with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII at stake, and Samuel will have to be a key force in this game if they are to win and advance.
Many have commented on how much of a different team they are with and without Samuel, and Kyle Brandt distilled it to the simple fact that with him, their record has been stellar, but without him, they have a losing record.
49ers are 30 games over .500 with Deebo.
They are sub-500 without him.
This is huge. https://t.co/dfhzTwi5IT
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) January 26, 2024
Samuel seems to be a catalyst for San Francisco, and perhaps his impact goes beyond the 892 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns from scrimmage he had during the regular season.
He missed two games in late October, and in those games, the Niners, who were third in scoring this season, only mustered 17 points apiece.
While their ground game is among the best in the NFL thanks to likely Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, Detroit is very adept at limiting their opponents’ running game.
That would mean Samuel will need to play very well against Detroit in order to take the Niners to their eighth Super Bowl appearance and their third since the 2012 season.
It should be noted that the last time Samuel played against the Lions, which was Week 1 of the 2021 campaign, he had nine catches for 189 yards at Ford Field.
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