The San Francisco 49ers will not be at practice Wednesday as uncertainty continues over Deebo Samuel, one of the team's top offensive weapons heading into the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions. Did not participate.
The 49ers have struggled without Samuel on the field, including last week's come-from-behind victory over the Green Bay Packers when he injured his left shoulder in the first quarter. However, NFL Network's Cynthia Freland said the 49ers' offense is built and second-year quarterback Brock Purdy won't need to put pressure on his shoulder even if Samuel doesn't play Sunday. thinking.
That can be credited to head coach Kyle Shanahan and his offensive scheme.
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Cynthia Freland attends the 2023 Women of Inspiration Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium on November 28, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
“Kyle Shanahan's ability to scheme players out in the open is just incredible,” she said. Outkick's “Hot Mic” Wednesday. “It's much easier for Brock Purdy to be efficient when there's no one within three yards of someone, right? If the radius is much better, you can be more efficient. That Looking at it, I think Brock Purdy is just as efficient with the space he has.
“I'm not saying he's not great or whatever. I don't hate him. What I'm saying is that if a lot of quarterbacks had those weapons in that scheme, they'd be pretty efficient, too. And he's doing it.' That's great.”
It's true that Purdy and the 49ers' offense have struggled without Samuel this year, as their least productive offensive games came during the two weeks he was unavailable during the regular season.
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But Freland, a Detroit fan, knows the Lions' defense is part of Shanahan's ploy.
“The Lions defense has conceded the most goals, 16.[yard] Regular Season Receptions – Over 100. No other team has more than 100. [Lions cornerback] One-on-one with Cam Sutton, Kyle Shanahan goes, “Hey. [wide receiver] brandon [Aiyuk], you're going to be coming down with the ball alongside a guy named Cam. ' Then it will work.
“And last week, you could see where the Lions were weak. They were playing deep defense, but they had the most intermediate passes, so they had a lot of passes of 10 to 19 yards. That was the worst game ever. That's George Kittle.” “Pick your poison. It's going to be worse without Deebo Samuel. Limit the big plays, or at least limit the scoring from the big plays. The Lions’ capabilities are going to be huge.”
San Francisco 49ers prepare to make a pass during warm-ups before the NFL divisional round playoff football game between San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on January 20, 2024. No. 13 Brock Purdy. California. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
But why is Samuel so important to a 49ers team that has stars like Aiyuk, Kittle and, of course, the running backs on offense?
“If you look at Deebo's off-ball metrics, his metrics when he's not the target of a pass, he's probably even more valuable than Brandon Aiyuk,” Freland explained. “It's like, 'Oh, we're discussing 1-A and 1-B.' It's not like a big drop-off. What Devo can do is move different spaces It's about occupying and running routes in such a way that defenders miss. It brings out the safeties. He's a tricky trickster. He figures out how to bring out the safeties. They're running Brandon Aiyuk in man coverage. He can attack you one-on-one. Play quarter? See you. He can diagnose all the coverages and say, “Here's going to be the zone hole,'' or “Here's where.'' “Their man is the weakest. I'll be right there.”
“He seems to understand the task better than anyone and also helps make the other players look really good.”
Samuel still has time just before kickoff Sunday to decide who will represent the NFC in Super Bowl III in Las Vegas.
In any case, Freland knows that the Lions will be put to a tough test against the offensive line built by coach Shanahan, who has made big play after big play all season.
San Francisco 49ers No. 19 Deebo Samuel watches before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Levi's Stadium on December 25, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Shearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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The Lions also have an explosive offense, but the 49ers defense has been able to make big stops all year. It's going to be a tough task for Detroit to accomplish that on the road.
