Deebo Samuel had 95 receiving yards and 45 rushing yards in the San Francisco 49ers' thrilling 27-24 overtime road win over the Los Angeles Rams. He scores his seventh rushing touchdown of the season, the most in a single season by a wide receiver. Samuel even threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
However, Samuel didn't singlehandedly lift the 49ers to the win. Everyone stepped up in the crucial playoff-impacting game. Brandon Aiyuk led the team in receiving yards with 107. Jennings had a career-high 94 receiving yards. Rookie Elijah Mitchell racked up 85 rushing yards.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo turned in a gutsy performance, playing with a torn ligament and chipped bone in his right thumb while completing 23-of-32 pass attempts for 316 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
The 49ers probably aren't a team anyone is looking forward to facing in the playoffs. The team is coming together and getting contributions from everyone. Samuel feels that makes them a dangerous postseason foe.
"We're real dangerous. Real dangerous," Samuel said during a post-game television interview. "It's about to get scary."
The 49ers punched their playoff ticket with the Week 18 victory. However, it didn't always feel like they would end up on top. The team fell into an early 17-0 hole before mounting an impressive comeback that started with a field goal to close out the first half.
"It was kind of frustrating," Samuel admitted to reporters after the game. "Down 17-0, and then we go down and get three points. [Head coach Kyle Shanahan] had a great message in the locker room. 'Go out there and just play the ball that we play,' and we showed up in the second half."
Now, the 49ers look to prove just how dangerous they can be.
Said Garoppolo after the game: "All it takes is to get in, and we'll see what happens going down to Dallas now. It will be a great challenge for us, but I know these guys are ready."
