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The San Francisco 49ers scraped past the Green Bay Packers and had to do so without Deebo Samuel for much of the game.
The star receiver/running back suffered a shoulder injury against the Packers and was ruled out shortly after halftime. With the NFC Championship game on the horizon, all eyes are on the star playmaker to see if he will be suiting up on Sunday.
It doesn't sound like it's off to a promising start, as ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that Deebo Samuel was limited in practice today as he continues to deal with that shoulder injury.
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Given what the 49ers' offense looked like without Samuel as Brock Purdy and Co struggled against the Packers' defense, with Detriot boasting a better unit under Aaron Glenn, San Francisco will be sweating on Samuel's fitness.
What also might work against Samuel is his physical playing style. The bash-and-crash nature of his football identity doesn't lend itself to having a sore shoulder, so that also might hinder his impact even if he does suit up on Sunday.
Update: Deebo Samuel is cleared to play on Sunday.
Deebo Samuel pivotal to 49ers' offensive success
With the Lions possessing an offense that can put up points on any defense, the 49ers will have to keep pace, which could be problematic without Samuel.
What he can do for Kyle Shanahan's offense, whether in the passing game or run game, is something that no other offensive weapons game does in the NFL.
His ability to take a quick five-yard screen pass and turn that into a 25-yard gain is well known, and so is his ability to run a jet sweep for 20 yards in the blink of an eye.
Deebo Samuel adds a different dimension to the 49ers offense, and with other weapons in Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk, Brock Purdy has a wealth of attacking options at his disposal.
While Samuel's game status seems uncertain at the time of writing, we imagine he will be doing everything he can to ensure he suits up on Sunday.
49ers Fans! Check out the latest San Francisco 49ers Schedule and dive into the 49ers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.
