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With just hours before kickoff, San Francisco 49ers fans seemingly took over SoFi Stadium before the team’s NFC Championship clash with the Los Angeles Rams.
Besides various things like Vivid Seats predicting a 65% 49er crowd, there’s also video and photos coming from the ground that show a ton of fans in red and gold having a good time.
One of the latest came from NFL Network, who are at SoFi Stadium filming live segments for the NFC Championship. One clip from the broadcast shows fans of both fanbases in attendance, but a considerable difference in the number of 49ers to Rams fans.
As he’s been doing the past week or so, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin broke out his chant for San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel. This time, however, he had a chorus of 49ers fans to join in.
It’s hard not to laugh as Irvin feeds off the Niners fans’ chanting while the rest of the broadcast crew is trying to continue the conversation. Some might say it’s classic Irvin, although some Dallas Cowboys fans may not love seeing one of their all-time greats celebrating with the 49ers faithful.
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Irvin Impressed with Deebo
There’s no question that Samuel has come on in a big way this season. While he was an eye-catching weapon and important part of the Niners’ 2019 run to the Super Bowl, this season has been a cut above his first two years in the league.
That’s due, in part, to the 49ers giving the receiver rushing touches. But he’s also simply stepped up in a big way with his hands, as PFR shows. His 18.2 yards per catch leads the NFL, and is far higher than his previous year averages of 14.1 (2019) and 11.8 (2020). His 77 receptions, 1405 receiving yards and 87.8 receiving yards per game are also career highs.
Irvin started to take notice of this in early October. By that point, Deebo had 548 receiving yards in five games, with three touchdowns to boot. At that point, the former Cowboys pass-catcher was asked if Samuel was starting to reach “elite” status in the NFL and Irvin said that was clearly the case.
“He is absolutely moving towards that mark, he is saying, start including me in these conversations with the way he is playing,” Irvin said on 95.7 The Game per NBC Sports.
Deebo Comments on Elite Status
On January 28, Samuel and other 49ers players spoke to the media about the NFC Championship and the current state of the team. One question in particular that stood out during Deebo’s press conference time was if he watched any of the other top-level receivers in the league, specifically Rams star WR Cooper Kupp.
“There’s not another receiver in this league that plays like me or do the things that I do,” Samuel said. “So I don’t see the need to watch anybody that don’t do the things that I do.”
It’s a bold statement, but most people who have watched the 49ers this season can attest that Samuel is truly a unique offensive threat.
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