San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel has experienced plenty of highs since being drafted in 2019, including four NFC Championship appearances and two trips to the Super Bowl. He's also endured lows, like the injury-ravaged 2020 season when the team managed just six wins. Yet, when asked which season has been the most frustrating, Samuel pointed to the current campaign.
"This year, for sure," Samuel said on his Cleats & Convos podcast, via Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area. "Me, personally, I want to be my best self as much as possible. As a whole, as a group, losing games that we aren't supposed to lose. We put our backs against the wall at times."
The 49ers are 5-5 following Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, with two tough road matchups ahead against the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills.
Three of their five losses have come against NFC West rivals, each marked by fourth-quarter collapses after leading by at least four points. It's a puzzling outcome for a team that, not too long ago, was widely regarded as one of the most talented in the league.
"You just look at, from top to bottom, one of the best rosters in the league, and it gets frustrating because we know what we're capable of," Samuel explained. "We got to finish games. We got to be the Niners that everybody knows that we are. And it gets frustrating at times when we don't win those games, and you're like, 'Yo, why do we keep putting ourselves in these positions?'"
The 49ers have struggled without key contributors for much of the season. Star running back Christian McCaffrey missed the first eight games due to Achilles tendinitis and hasn't resembled the Offensive Player of the Year since returning. Meanwhile, quarterback Brock Purdy lost his go-to target, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, to a season-ending ACL and MCL tear on October 20.
The offense is without quarterback Brock Purdy's favorite target, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who suffered a torn ACL and MCL on October 20, ending his season.
With their postseason hopes slipping away, the 49ers face a critical stretch. Securing wins over the next two weekends is essential to keep their playoff dreams alive.
"Now, every game we play, you got to treat it like it's your last," Samuel said. "We treat every game like that [already], but it's really like, 'Yo, if we don't win this game, we'll be in some trouble.'"