Getty Deebo Samuel take a water break on December 11, 2022 in Santa Clara.
Deebo Samuel wasn’t active for the pivotal NFC West showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, December 15. But he sure was vocal.
While nursing his injured ankle he sustained from the Sunday, December 11 romp of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 2021 All-Pro took to Twitter to support his team. One of the posts from Samuel? He sent out this fiery message as his team pursued the division crown:
Stop mf playing with the guys
Once Samuel gets cleared to play again from his MCL and ankle sprain, he’ll be suiting up for the 2022 NFC West champions — as the 49ers clinched the divisional crown with their 21-13 road win at Lumen Field in the battle of the division’s best teams. It now marks the second division title Samuel has witnessed in his 49ers career, as he helped lead S.F. to the NFC West title his rookie season of 2019.
Best in the West!
How 49ers Offense Fared Without Samuel
Again, Samuel spent his Thursday watching his team secure the title but lend his support through the keyboard — from tweeting about his fellow All-Pro teammate George Kittle, to anointing his defense as “the best in the nation” all the way to sharing his love for the 49ers.
The whole gang ✍🏾. Love my team
And even without the versatile and physical “wide back,” the 49ers still looked efficient in front of the “12th man” crowd. Here are some notable moments from the 49er offense in the eight-point win:
Perfect 10 to start: Brock Purdy continues to leave many scratching their heads on how and why he fell to the final pick of the 2022 draft. Purdy completed his first 10 throws of the night while racking up 89 yards during that sequence. “Mr. Irrelevant” ended up delivering a season-high (plus new current NFL career-high) of 217 yards while throwing for two more touchdowns. Purdy even turned heads (literally) with this rare double pump fake:
The double fake from Purdy! Kittle is in for the TD
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“The People’s Tight End” recaptures dominance: George Kittle caught the same number of receptions that he had from the Bucs game. But this time, after getting 28 on Tampa, his yards rose to 93. And along with being the recipient of Purdy’s multiple fake out, Kittle rumbled his way in on this 54-yarder to give the Niners the commanding lead:
YAC King 👑
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“Run CMC” runs amok: Christian McCaffrey continues to prove he was worth the addition before the trade deadline. This time, “Run CMC” gashed the Seahawks with 108 rushing yards while averaging 4.2 yards a carry and scoring once. He added 30 yards through the air. In total, McCaffrey touched the ball 32 times on offense with 138 total yards.
“The Closer” ends it: Jordan Mason was once at nine yards on three carries. But the undrafted rookie helped close the deal with this 55-yard scamper:
Jordan Mason ices the game. @jpmason27
He not only ended the night with four carries for 64 yards, but The Athletic’s David Lombardi called him “The Closer.”
49ers Continue 2 Streaks
The win continued two notable marks for the 49ers as noted by Lombardi.
“The 49ers are 7-0 since Christian McCaffrey took on a full-time role and that is no accident,” was one streak Lombardi mentioned. But speaking of the seven-game streak, the 49ers have accomplished this feat for the second straight game with Seattle that involves a division title hanging in the balance.
“The 49ers, winners of an NFL-best 7 straight, have clinched the NFC West on Seattle’s turf for the second time in three seasons,” Lombardi said.
He ended with “That was indeed a juggernaut-level performance from SF — and their coaching staff is fired up leaving the booth.”
The 49ers, winners of an NFL-best 7 straight, have clinched the NFC West on Seattle’s turf for the second time in three seasons.
That was indeed a juggernaut-level performance from SF — and their coaching staff is fired up leaving the booth