From the onset of Sunday’s NFC Championship, the 49ers’ offensive gameplan was obvious: get the ball to Deebo. 49ers wide receiver / offensive weapon Deebo Samuel started off the game in the backfield and got the first two touches of the game.
San Francisco struggled to get much offensive momentum going early Sunday against the star-studded defense of the Los Angeles Rams. Then Deebo happened.
With about six minutes left in the first half, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo fired a pass to Samuel in the right flat and let him do the work. Like he’s done all season, Samuel racked up the YAC (yards after catch) and rumbled down the right sideline through defenders before diving past the pylon for a 44-yard touchdown. Samuel ranked second in the NFL with 779 yards after the catch this season.
Samuel’s scamper help tie up the score for the 49ers, who ran a well-executed screen play that featured a host of blocks from Samuel’s teammates like wide receiver Jauan Jennings, tight end George Kittle, and linemen Alex Mack, Tom Compton and Daniel Brunskill.
Earlier this season, Samuel trolled Rams superstar Aaron Donald with a social media post saying “Who’s that?” The Rams definitely know all about Deebo.
Even Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James had to show some love for Samuel.
Samuel led the NFL with 18.2 yards per catch while setting an NFL record with eight rushing touchdowns as a receiver. He is proving to be an absolute force in the playoffs, as he also contributed a solid all-around effort in last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers.
There's a reason why everyone on the 49ers loves Deebo.
