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Even while San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel recovers from a shoulder injury, he runs to quarterback Brock Purdy’s defense.
Samuel called out ESPN analyst Ryan Clark’s comments about Purdy during “First Take” on Monday. Clark’s take notably came after Purdy propelled the 49ers to a 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round on January 20 with Samuel out for most of the game.
“I’m about to make a confession,” Clark said. “The single hardest thing I had to do this year was act like Brock Purdy deserved to be in the conversations with [Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson],” Clark said on Monday.
“Because [Purdy] was playing extremely well and operating in that offense and distributing that ball to [George] Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, we had to continue to include him in conversations with Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen. Those things are not alike,” Clark added.
Samuel, who had two catches for 24 yards before the shoulder injury sidelined him, posted his thoughts in an Instagram story. Purdy threw for 252 yards and a touchdown plus a game-winning drive for his first victory without Samuel on the field for most or all of a game this season.
“Never seen so much hate for a QB that lead the league in almost every category y’all folks be buggin frfr,” Samuel posted on his Instagram story. “That [tape] don’t tell no lies.”
To Samuel’s point, Purdy had the best passer rating and quarterback rating among all signal callers who had 75 or more passes in 2023. Purdy also ranked in the top five for completion percentage, yards, and touchdowns.
Deebo Samuel Remains Questionable for NFC Championship Game
While Samuel’s tests came back negative with no fracture, his status for the NFC Championship Game remains uncertain.
“It wasn’t broken, so that was a real good sign,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday. “But it’s still hurting too much for us to really have an idea how he will heal up this week. So, we’ve just got to be patient, see how he feels on Wednesday, and based on if it’s improving it will give us a better idea whether he has a chance for the game or not.”
Samuel sustained the injury during the first quarter against the Packers, and he didn’t return. He also got tested for a concussion, but that was rule out.
“It was the shoulder and only the shoulder, but I think it looked live like he possibly could have taken a hit in the head, so that was just people from upstairs,” Shanahan said.
Niners’ Backup Plan Without Deebo Samuel is Clear
San Francisco will need to be ready for either having or not having Samuel on the field against the Detroit Lions in the NFC title game. That means an increased role for third wide receiver Jauan Jennings if Samuel can’t go.
Jennings contributed big against the Packers with five catches for 61 yards. Jennings has 19 receptions for 265 yards and a touchdown in 13 games this season.
“Jauan, he always contributes,” Shanahan said. “I think people see it more when he catches the ball, but Jauan has an impact whenever he’s out there on the field, whether it’s the run game or the pass game. He stepped it up big for us, one of the biggest warriors out on the field and love that he’s on our team.”
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