On Monday, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed wide receiver Deebo Samuel's underwhelming performances this season. Samuel has struggled to make a significant impact on the field, prompting questions about his role in the offense.
"I think he has the burst that he needs," Shanahan declared. "He didn't get a lot of opportunities last night."
Shanahan noted that the lack of opportunities wasn't limited to Samuel, emphasizing the team's struggles as a whole during their 38-10 loss at Lambeau Field, where the 49ers failed to establish any momentum.
Samuel endured one of the worst games of his NFL career on Sunday. Pro Football Focus graded him at a career-low 45.5 offensively. He recorded just one reception for 21 yards and had two costly drops, one leading to an interception by quarterback Brandon Allen.
Lynch on Deebo's struggles
On Tuesday morning, general manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR and offered his defense of Samuel.
"I think Deebo has made so many plays for us over such a long period of time here and been such a reason for our success that people have become accustomed to that," Lynch explained. "And the explosives haven't been there as much."
Lynch highlighted one moment in Sunday's game when Samuel appeared to reclaim his playmaking form: an impressive 87-yard kickoff return. Unfortunately, the play was negated by a holding penalty on tight end Eric Saubert. The return would have positioned the 49ers with a first-and-goal opportunity to start the second half—just what the team needed to gain some momentum.
Lynch argued that he disagreed with the penalty on Saubert, saying, "Instead, they call a hold that I still can't find on film. I think it was a perfect block by Eric Saubert. I think it was fundamental teach tape 101, and yet, there were two flags on the ground. So, I'll leave it at that."
Despite the setback, Lynch praised Samuel's effort on the play.
"But that looked like the Deebo that we need, that we expect, and hopefully there's more of that coming," Lynch concluded.
Lynch discusses McCaffrey
Lynch also addressed another star playmaker facing challenges: running back Christian McCaffrey. The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year has struggled to regain his dominant form after missing the first eight games of the season with Achilles tendinitis.
When asked if McCaffrey's struggles were due to needing more time to ramp up within the offense, Lynch dismissed the idea.
"I don't believe so," Lynch said. "I think it's more probably a byproduct. You think about the last couple games, and possessions haven't been plentiful. I think at one point during that game the other night, I never felt a game like that. I believe they had 30-plus plays, and we were down at like six or seven. And so that's not a good equation for getting anyone going offensively.
"The other thing you have to do, you have to stay out there. You have to earn the right to have those type of deals, where you get multiple plays. And we talk about rotations beyond Christian. Well, those things all go—how long can you stay out there? Can you convert on third down? Can you not even get to third down because you're converting on first and second? We haven't been doing that.
"Conversely, they were controlling the ball on offense, and so it just wasn't a good equation. My eyes tell me a lot. We all know who Christian is as a player. My eyes tell me that he's in a good spot physically, and I think it's just a matter of time before we get him going. But it takes more than just Christian. It takes the entire unit being in sync, and that's what we have to strive for this weekend."
This weekend, the 5-6 49ers will travel to Highmark Stadium to take on the 9-2 Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, seeking to get both McCaffrey and Samuel back on track.
You can listen to Lynch's entire interview below.
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