Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Well, that was unexpected. No, not the San Francisco 49ers' dominant performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The shocker was that
Deebo Samuel was not the 49ers' leading receiver in the game. Instead, that was
Brandon Aiyuk, who had 85 yards from seven catches.
That in itself isn't the surprising aspect of the stat sheet from San Francisco's 30-10 win. It's that paired with Samuel being the game's leading rusher.
"We planned on giving him some (carries) throughout the game," Shanahan said after the game. "We usually do. Usually, when things work, you come back to them. We had a couple different things with it and some play-actions I think we got in the third quarter -- I think one off of it."
Samuel finished the game with eight carries for 79 yards (9.9 yards per carry) and a rushing touchdown. Running back
Jeff Wilson, who many figured would carry most of the load in the team's rushing attack on Sunday, finished the game with 19 carries and 50 rushing yards.
"When [Samuel] runs the ball that well, it's pretty impressive," Shanahan continued. "I think he had almost 10 yards a carry on eight runs. His longest was [25]. Usually, when a receiver does that, it's because they have like one 70-yarder. Deebo was extremely efficient. He got everything and more on those looks. I think he had one real bad look that he protected the ball and got down."
Samuel is proving to be the 49ers' most impactful offensive weapon this season. He is a Swiss Army Knife-type player that gives opposing defenses fits. Samuel can do it all — catch, run, and block. Sometimes, he shows off all those abilities in the same play while making talented defenders look silly.
Samuel has always been a versatile player. Last year, he was plagued by injuries that limited his ability to show off his skillset fully. This year, he has the numbers to prove he is among the league's best offensive weapons, and that may result in the 25-year-old's first Pro Bowl selection.
Said Shanahan: "We started to realize how good he was, I think, towards the second half of his rookie year. But we haven't tossed them, so he gets more running stats. He's continuing to get better at it, so we continue to do more."
How does Samuel like being a running back?
"I don't have nothing against it," Samuel responded. "Whechever way to get the ball in my hands, I'm all for it. But it's kind of natural back there, I'm not going to lie."
George Kittle is viewed as one of the top tight ends in the league. His versatility as a blocker has many believing he is the best overall tight end in the NFL. However, even Kittle, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and first-team All-Pro tight end, is extremely impressed with his teammate.
Kittle has no problem pushing around defensive ends or linebackers. However, he wouldn't be so quick to volunteer to line up in the backfield for the Niners.
"That's one of the positions (where) I'm like, 'Hey George, you wanna run the ball?' Not really," Kittle shared. "There's a lot of big guys in there that hit really hard, and they land on you, and it hurts. The fact that Deebo does it without blinking, it's awesome.
"When he has the mindset to run and score every time he touches the ball, it really sets the mindset for the entire team. You just love that and respect it."
Kirk Larrabee contributed to this article.
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The 49ers are a different team now. Yes, there are questions to be answered about the team's health. Defensive end Nick Bosa needs to clear the concussion protocol on a short week to play. Linebacker Fred Warner is dealing with an ankle sprain. The good news is that it's not of the "high" variety.
Then you have quarterback
The San Francisco 49ers are just hours away from kicking off against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card round of the playoffs. One player everyone is excited to see is the dynamic Deebo Samuel. He is labeled as a wide receiver. However, the 49ers have utilized him as so much more this season.
Samuel racked up 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six receiving touchdowns this season, all career-highs. He also had 59 carries for 365 yards and a team-leading eight rushing touchdowns. Samuel even threw a touchdown pass in the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams. He can do it all.
This week, Samuel was asked how he would respond to someone who did not know him asking what position he
Deebo Samuel has become a very confident player for the San Francisco 49ers. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get the football in his hands and make a play. Samuel is a wide receiver but lines up as a running back too. He led the 49ers with eight rushing touchdowns this season.
Samuel had another rushing touchdown during Sunday's 23-17 playoff win against the Dallas Cowboys. That one was impressive, as it involved Samuel improvising on the play and turning back inside to get into the end zone. That wasn't how the play was drawn up, by the way.
How did Deebo even find this hole? 😱
Deebo Samuel sat down to talk with reporters via Zoom after Thursday's practice. The San Francisco 49ers' dynamic receiver has become a household name and a nightmare for opposing defenses.
Samuel responded to several questions during the media session. Below are some of the more noteworthy.
Has the newfound fame affected the 49ers wide back?
"It don't affect me at all," Samuel said. "I just worry about this team, winning, and all the guys that's around. I don't pay attention to all the outside noise that's kind of thrown at your face. But it's not hard to block it out and just focus on the things that
