Wide receiver Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers may miss the NFC Championship Game after sustaining a shoulder injury during the team's 24-21 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday in the Divisional Round.
According to Adam Schefter, Senior NFL Insider for ESPN, the wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers is currently "50-50" to take part against the Detroit Lions next weekend.
It is anticipated that the 49ers will employ every effort to guarantee Samuel's participation on Sunday. The 28-year-old has shown his value to the Niners this season who are 0-1 in the games he missed because of a shoulder ailment.
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Following the victory on Saturday, San Francisco's head coach Kyle Shanahan reiterated why Deebo Samuel is a distinctive guy to replace at the post-game news conference:
"Losing one of your top players is always a difficult situation, but Deebo is a little more unique because of how we use him. There are not many people who can do what he does. When he is a big part of the game plan and he goes out that early, you've got to move a lot of people around and do a number of things differently," Shanahan said.
The former South Carolina wide receiver has recorded 60 receptions for 892 yards and seven touchdowns so far this season. In addition, he has five running touchdowns and 225 rushing yards.
Even though the Niners have running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and tight end George Kittle to rely on, it will be nearly impossible to replace Samuel's impact if he is sidelined for the NFC Championship Game.
#Update: As per 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan, Samuel does not have a fractured shoulder but is still battling through immense pain. His status for the NFC Championship Game remains questionable.
#Update 2: Samuel didn't practice on Wednesday and his status for the game on Sunday still remains in the air.
Deebo Samuel injury status: What happened to 49ers WR?
Deebo Samuel sustained a shoulder injury during Saturday's Divisional Round victory over the Green Bay Packers. He was hit hard while battling to gain more yardage after collecting a short pass from Brock Purdy during the game's second drive in the first quarter. He exited the field and walked into the dressing room for assessment after the injury.
At first, it was decided that the standout wide receiver was questionable to return. But as the first half ended, he was no longer wearing his uniform, and was declared out for the rest of the match. Samuel had collected two receptions for 24 yards before he left the game.
Samuel was reported to have undergone additional testing on Sunday in order to ascertain the extent of the injury and provide a more accurate assessment of his chances of playing in the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions.
Deebo Samuel's injury history explored this season
Deebo Samuel missed games during the regular season because of a hairline fracture to his left shoulder before he was forced off the field on Saturday. Kyle Shanahan said that the injury he sustained on Saturday was comparable to the one he sustained against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.
Samuel's first shoulder injury kept him out of two games, against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Minnesota Vikings. The 49ers lost both contests.
"It happened during the Cleveland game, and we didn't handle it that well," Shanahan stated on Saturday. "It's a big task, but I think we handled it better today than we did back then.”
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