The San Francisco 49ers will be without star wide receiver Deebo Samuel for Sunday’s game against … [+]
The San Francisco 49ers find themselves in the midst of a two-game losing streak heading into Sunday’s road date with the defending champion Los Angeles Rams.
Just when it seemed that San Francisco would have the most firepower we’ve seen on offense this season, star wide receiver Deebo Samuel popped up on the injury report with a hamstring issue.
Samuel had not practiced all week leading up to head coach Kyle Shanahan’s Q&A with reporters on Friday afternoon, roughly 48 hours before San Francisco takes on its division rival.
In said press conference, Shanahan confirmed what seemed to be obvious. Samuel will be inactive for the all-important Week 8 matchup.
He will join fellow Pro Bowler, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, as important members of the 49ers’ offense to miss Sunday’s outing. All of this comes amid All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey preparing for his second game as a member of the 49ers after being acquired from the Carolina Panthers in a blockbuster trade last week.
Deebo Samuel’s Absence And What It Means For The San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is among several players who must step up on Sunday. … [+]
Samuel, 26, has not been as electric thus far this season as we saw in 2021. Through seven games, he’s caught 32 passes for 387 yards while putting up 138 rushing yards and three total touchdowns. This still has the All-Pro on pace for 1,275 total yards.
It’s not going to be easy duplicating this type of production. Samuel’s ability to make plays all over the field was one of the reasons San Francisco overcame early struggles to earn a trip to the NFC Championship Game last season. Without him in the mix, there’s onus on others to step up.
Outside of McCaffrey (more on him below), third-year receiver Brandon Aiyuk will have to continue making an impact. The former first-round pick from Arizona State has caught 15-of-22 targets for 165 yards and two touchdowns over the past two games. He’ll take over the role as Jimmy Garoppolo’s top target at the wide receiver position.
After being tasked with blocking a tad too much for my liking earlier in the season, star tight end George Kittle has picked it up from a receiving perspective. During that very same two-game span, he’s caught 14-of-19 targets for 181 yards. Kittle is yet another skill-position player who must do his thing.
San Francisco 49ers Set To Unleash Christian McCaffrey
The San Francisco 49ers fully expect to unleash Christian McCaffrey Sunday against the Los Angeles … [+]
In his first game as a member of the 49ers last week, McCaffrey saw 23 plays on offense. He ultimately put up 62 total yards on 10 touches, including two catches. It was a limited sample size, but one the 49ers hope to build on Sunday against the Rams.
“It’s a real challenge for anybody, but you have to work at it,” Shanahan on McCaffrey picking up the 49ers’ offensive scheme, via the team’s official website. “He did that a lot in the 48 hours he was here to be a part of it last week, and I’m not worried about him doing it this week too.”
Now that Samuel has officially been ruled out, I am expecting McCaffrey’s full intergration into the 49ers offense come Sunday. That is to say, at least doubling his rep counts with many more opportunities in the passing game.
In six outings with Carolina ahead of last week’s trade, McCaffrey caught 33 passes. This will be key if the 49ers are to overcome Samuel’s absence.
Familiar Must-Win Territory Against The Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo has had a lot of success against the Los Angeles Rams. (Photo … [+]
It was just last November that San Francisco headed into a Week 10 matchup against these Rams with a 3-5 record and facing the real possibility of a lost season. Garoppolo and Co. responded by winning that “Monday Night Football” matchup by the score of 31-10.
This represented San Francisco’s fifth consecutive regular-season win over the Rams, a streak that would ultimately extend to six in Week 18.
The teams are different. Circumstances change. Los Angeles isn’t playing at the same level as we saw during its run to the Super Bowl title last season. Even then, some things are the same. There’s an expectation that 49ers fans will take over SoFi Stadium in Southern California again on Sunday. The outcome could act as a harbinger of things to come for San Francisco heading into its Week 9 bye. It’s must-win territory, and the team must do it without Deebo Samuel.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/vincentfrank/2022/10/28/san-francisco-49ers-face-a-tall-task-without-deebo-samuel-against-the-rams/