Getty San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel
The San Francisco 49ers are prepping for the Super Bowl, but WR Deebo Samuel still had a second for the Philadelphia Eagles. San Francisco didn’t see the Eagles in the playoffs this year, but still got their “revenge” over Philadelphia in the regular season.
After the Eagles beat the 49ers in the 2023 NFC Championship, there were talks of a budding rivalry. Not for Deebo. When asked about Philly on February 5, he shot down the NFC East team as a potential rival.
“I consider rivalries close games. We ain’t going to talk about that no more. That’s over with,” Samuel said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In one of the more dominant wins of the season, San Francisco defeated the Eagles 42-19 on December 3. Philadelphia was in the middle of a free fall that saw them lose five of their last six regular season games.
And anyone who has followed Samuel’s career knows that this is especially on-brand for him. He’s not shying away from the trash talk, but he’s also being somewhat casual about it.
But if Philadelphia wants to get Deebo back for his comments, they’ll need to make the playoffs and find the 49ers there. San Francisco will not play the Eagles in the regular season.
Deebo Samuel Brings the Pain in Philadelphia
Part of the reason why the Eagles are a relevant subject with Samuel is due to previous comments and his monstrous performance against Philly this past season. Samuel and Eagles CB James Bradberry went back and forth, but Samuel clearly got the last laugh.
Samuel had what was probably the best single-game performance of his career. The former South Carolina Gamecock caught four passes for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also added 22 rushing yards and a score to boot.
That was the first time that Samuel had earned a “hat trick” in his NFL career. It’s one thing to do that against some of the NFL’s best, but the fact that he had plenty of chatter surrounding the moment only made it all the more memorable.
Ex-49ers QB Alex Smith Speaks on Defensive Issues
Looking back toward the Super Bowl, the 49ers may need a shootout in order to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. At least that’s what former San Francisco and Kansas City Chiefs QB Alex Smith thinks.
Speaking to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Smith explained that the 49ers defense’s lack of impact plays means the pressure will be on Samuel, QB Brock Purdy and the offense.
“This 49ers defense doesn’t do a lot,” Smith said. “They don’t present a lot of volume. I think… they’re going to be in for it. The only chance I think the Niners have to win is a little bit of a shootout, and again, this Chiefs defense just continues to elevate their game.”
The 49ers’ recent NFC Championship does lend credit to Smith’s take. While they did end up forcing turnovers and assisting the comeback, San Francisco needed 34 points to beat the Lions. Scoring a similar total against the Chiefs will not be easy.