Dang. Deebo, too?
In a season that’s been marred by a string of high-profile injuries to the 49ers, especially to the offense, they suffered another one Sunday. Wide receiver/running back Deebo Samuel got crunched by a couple of Tampa Bay Buccaneers defenders after catching a pass in the second quarter and fumbled the ball as he appeared to be in obvious pain.
Samuel stayed on the turf for a while and tried to get up off the grass on his own power, but eventually a cart was called. As he was being brought off the field, Deebo clutched his left knee area. After initially ruling it a knee injury, 49ers officially ruled it an ankle injury and that he would be out the rest of the game.
Following San Francisco's stunning 35-7 victory, when Brock Purdy outdueled Tom Brady, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said the team believes Samuel may have avoided serious injury. The good news is he didn't break a bone. The Niners should know more about the severity of the injury on Monday.
"Most likely a high-ankle sprain," Shanahan said. "That’s usually some time."
Almost the entire 49ers squad huddled around Samuel to send him well wishes before he was carted off the field.
"It was definitely concerning on the field," Nick Bosa said after the game. "It looked pretty bad. I don't know much about it. I hope that he's all right. He's tough as hell. He tried to walk off. I'm just hoping for the best."
Before getting hurt, Samuel showed off his burst and speed on a 13-yard pitch-and-run to score San Francisco’s first touchdown of the day. Brock Purdy and the Niners jumped out to a 35-0 lead against Tom Brady and the Bucs, who looked listless against the vaunted San Francisco defense. Deebo rushed the ball four times for 21 yards Sunday and also caught four passes for 43 yards, as Shanahan wanted to keep him involved against the Bucs.
The 49ers have dealt with serious injuries to quarterbacks Trey Lance (foot/ankle) and Jimmy Garoppolo (foot) this season, while running back Elijah Mitchell (MCL sprain) has been limited to just four games. Other stars like tackle Trent Williams, tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk have also missed time this season. Still, the Niners are 9-4, have won six straight and have a chance to clinch the NFC West with a victory Thursday night against the Seahawks.
"It just shows the type of versatility and the type of depth that we have," Juszczyk said. "When guys goes down, there's always somebody else that can step in and fill those shoes. Unfortunately, we have to keep doing that. But it's good that we can."
Deebo signed a three-year, $71.5 million contract (with $58 million guaranteed) before the season, so at least he has some financial security if this injury lingers into the postseason.
