They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and it looks like San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel took it and rubbed it on his hands. Just days after taking to social media suggesting that his recent struggles were due to a lack of usage, Samuel put together another flat performance in his team’s Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams that now has their season all but cooked.
Earlier in the week, Samuel posted (and then deleted) an explanation for why his production has gone silent as of late. The post read: “Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!! [shrug emoji].”
Coming into Thursday’s game, Samuel had registered no more than 22 yards receiving in each of his previous four games and was seeing roughly 4.7 targets per game over that stretch. With that lobbying on social media in mind, Samuel’s usage in this game was going to be a worthwhile storyline to follow. It was, but not in the way Samuel had hoped.
In the 12-6 defeat that dropped the 49ers’ record to 6-8, Samuel finished with three receptions for 16 yards on seven targets (tied for second-most on the team). He also rushed the ball twice for three yards. If that inability to produce with the ball in his hands wasn’t bad enough, he also had a couple of plays that negatively impacted the San Francisco offense.
During the 49ers’ second possession of the game, he was late to get up the left side of the field and essentially tackled teammate Isaac Guerendo to stop him with a 1-yard gain.
At the start of the second quarter, Samuel also committed a false start penalty that turned a third-and-4 situation into a third-and-9.
However, the most debilitating miscue from the wideout came midway through the third quarter. In a game where neither team reached the end zone, Samuel arguably had the best shot. Brock Purdy found Samuel wide open over the middle of the field on a third-and-10 throw from the Los Angeles 29-yard line. Had Samuel reeled the ball in, he had a strong chance to breeze into the end zone for a touchdown to break the 3-3 tie and go up 10-3. Instead, the ball bounced in and out of his hands for a drop, and the offense settled for a field goal and took a 6-3 lead.
After the game, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said it was a play Samuel had to make.
“That was a big one. Third down and with Deebo’s skill set, I would have been shocked if he didn’t score on the play,” Shanahan said. “He needs to catch that ball.”
With the wind out of their sails, the 49ers gave up a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to fall to Los Angeles.
This is Samuel’s fifth straight game registering 35 or fewer scrimmage yards, which is the longest such streak of his career. That dropped touchdown also contributed to what is now an eight-game touchdown drought for the 28-year-old, also the longest of his career.
