The San Francisco 49ers escaped on Saturday night with a victory over the Green Bay Packers to advance to the NFC Championship Game, but it may have come at the cost of a fairly significant Deebo Samuel injury.
Samuel left the game twice on Saturday against the Packers. Early in the first quarter, he was escorted to the sideline and examined under the NFL’s concussion protocol. Minutes after being cleared and returning to the game, Samuel went down with a shoulder injury.
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Samuel was evaluated by the medical staff and then taken into the locker room. Before the 49ers could even rule him out for the remainder of the game, the All-Pro offensive weapon returned to the sideline after halftime in a hoodie. After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan suggested the injury could be similar to what happened against the Cleveland Browns.
“I don’t know yet. I mean he tried to come back [but] couldn’t do it. I know he did something similar versus Cleveland.”
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on the Deebo Samuel injury
Impact of Deebo Samuel injury on the 49ers’ offense
On Oct. 15 against the Browns, coincidentally also a rain-soaked game, Samuel exited with a shoulder injury. Tests later determined that he suffered a hairline fracture in his shoulder. It knocked him out for two games and because of the 49ers’ bye week, Samuel didn’t return to the field until Nov. 12.
While the 49ers’ offense still has the All-Pro playmakers to overcome a short-term absence from Samuel, not having one of the best offensive weapons in the NFL has had a significant effect on Brock Purdy.
| QB Rating | TD-INT | Completion Rate | YPA | |
| Brock Purdy w/ Deebo Samuel | 121.68 | 28-6 | 71.1% | 9.9 |
| Brock Purdy w/o Samuel | 72.36 | 4-5 | 61.4% | 6.0 |
According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, the 49ers do have some concern that Samuel may have suffered the same injury he did against Cleveland. If he’s dealing with a hairline fracture, San Francisco would likely be without Samuel for the NFC Championship Game.
Samuel will undergo tests on Sunday with Shanahan likely to provide an additional update to reports on Monday. If Samuel is unable to play, wide receiver Jauan Jennings would step into a primary role with Ray-Ray McCloud III working in the slot.
