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Deebo Samuel was a star on the “star” after the Sunday, January 16 San Francisco 49ers playoff win in Arlington, Texas. Literally.
Samuel put together a stellar afternoon of 110 total offensive yards on 13 touches and scored once in the 23-17 road win over the Dallas Cowboys, advancing onto the NFC Divisional round of the postseason while eliminating the Cowboys.
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After the game, ESPN’s Twitter account went with this graphic to commemorate the 49ers’ win: Placing Samuel on the star, a near-resemblance of what former 49ers receiver Terrell Owens did on the star on September 24, 2000.
But Samuel didn’t just shine in only his fourth career NFL playoff game. He shattered one NFL mark during the six-point victory.
What Samuel Broke
Per ESPN Stats and Info, the third-year wide receiver is now in the NFL playoff record books for most rushing yards by a wide receiver during a playoff game in the Super Bowl era.
A play like this one during the playoff win showed the game-changing effect Samuel has on offense. And this touchdown gave the 49ers their biggest lead.
According to Next Gen Stats, Samuel had a low probability of scoring on that run: Calculated at having a 0.7% chance of crossing the goal line. But Samuel used his eyes and running back-like cutback ability to score from 26 yards.
Also via Next Gen Stats, Samuel has lined up in the backfield on 10% of his snaps in the last nine games.
That’s not all. Per Pro Football Focus, Samuel did his most damage on designed runs to the right: Tallying 52 of his 72 yards up that side.
Along with the new NFL playoff record 72 he racked up against Dallas, Samuel averaged 7.2 yards per carry — the most he’s averaged through the ground game since the November 28, 2021 home game against the Minnesota Vikings (11 yards a carry in the 34-26 win) and the second time this season he’s matched the 7.2 average (posted the same average yards per carry in 31-10 home rout of the Los Angeles Rams on November 15).
Samuel Gave Team one Strong Look and Voice of Confidence
K’Waun Williams ignited the 49ers’ sidelines with this huge defensive play during the third quarter: An interception of Dak Prescott.
But Samuel wasn’t seen jumping in glee on the sidelines. He instead turned to his head coach Kyle Shanahan and told him six points was coming…from him.
“When K’Waun got the interception I looked at Kyle. I was like, ‘Hey just give me the ball. I got you,'” Samuel told reporters after the game. “So I just went out there and next play I scored.”
San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo saw the interaction himself, saying “I literally saw it happen…I saw him look at Kyle. He had that look in his eye.”
And Shanahan confirmed that was the brief conversation he had with his All-Pro playmaker during that sequence, saying “Deebo’s been a stud all year, as everyone knows, and, right before he went out there, he just mouthed something to me, which I kind of guessed was, ‘Give me the ball. When I look at him talking that way, it’s extremely motivating, and he makes it a lot easier to call plays.”
Samuel Stays Composed While Being Given Tough Questions
Think going against a Cowboys defense that featured the likes of DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch and Trevon Diggs was hard for Samuel during his record-breaking day? Try standing through a grueling postgame session after an emotional win while answering the tough questions from a young sideline reporter.
A reporter representing Nickelodeon.
Dylan Gilmer, a 12-year-old rapper better known from the network’s Tyler Perry show “Young Dylan,” fired off three questions including the burning one: “Do you guys think you are going to the Super Bowl?”
“I think so,” Samuel responded. “But one at a time though.”
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