The San Francisco 49ers employ a litany of exciting players on both sides of the ball – all of whom will be on display in the NFC championship game today against the Detroit Lions.
But between superstars like running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, and defensive end Nick Bosa, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and current NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin said that wide receiver Deebo Samuel is the 49ers’ most important player.
“This guy sets the tone for this team,” Irvin said. “… He does everything. … There’s nothing that Christian McCaffrey does that this man can’t do.”
“This guy sets the tone for this team…He does everything”
–@michaelirvin88 on Deebo Samuel@richeisen | #DETvsSF | #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/aSqLrH6C8j
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) January 28, 2024
Samuel’s availability for the conference title game was in question all week, though, after he left this past week’s divisional round game with a shoulder injury.
But Samuel healed up enough to suit up today and now makes the 49ers offense even deadlier than it already was heading into the match with the Detroit Lions.
Samuel is crucial because, as Irvin said, he can line up and make plays all over the field.
And when he has the ball in his hands, Samuel can evade would-be tacklers and turn short-yardage plays into long ones – some of which end in touchdowns for San Francisco.
While McCaffrey, Kittle, and fellow wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will be important for quarterback Brock Purdy, the presence of Samuel as both a safety net and a big-play pass-catcher turns the 49ers from a great offense into a scary one.
They need Samuel to have a vintage game as well with a match against the Detroit Lions’ offense on the other side with a shot at the Super Bowl on the line.
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