Almost everything went right for the 49ers offensively on Sunday, but none more so than Deebo Samuel. Samuel was downright unstoppable anywhere he was used on the field to the tune of 9 catches for 189 yards and a touchdown.
Leo Luna and Javier Vega broke down just how impressive No. 19 was in Detroit in today's Oh, Hey There Podcast.
Coming into the season, Samuel made no bones about the fact that he felt as healthy physically as he ever has with the 49ers, even including his rookie year. Javi thinks part of the reason was motivation on Deebo’s part to respond to the haters.
“Deebo heard all the chatter. ‘He’s an extension of the run game. He’s a glorified running back.’ No, this is what we talked about and this is what I’ve been harping on with Deebo Samuel - he’s more than that. He’s going to be able to get down the field. His average yards of separation was 3.98, according to Next Gen Stats. The average for the league is 2.87 yards. He literally had a yard more than the average. Yes, a lot of that was schemed open, but a lot of that was his route running, his ability to get off the line of scrimmage, and beat guys to the point he needs to get to in the route tree. He’s more than just a jet sweep, push pass type of receiver.”
For one week at least, it certainly looked like it. Part of the reason for
“What I liked about Deebo this game was seeing him downfield. Seeing him in the third tier of a defense trying to break those tackles, as opposed to having to get past the first tier, to the second tier, then in the third tier. It’s just a lot [less] work for the man. That’s what I enjoyed with Deebo Samuel.”
Leo went on to explain that part of the reason for the success was a change in how Samuel was used in the offense. Last season, he was targeted 10+ yards down the field just eight times. On Sunday, he was targeted 10+ yards down the field five times. So far, the early returns are in, and they are fantastic.
If Deebo can continue to produce like that every week, the 49ers are going to be able to rely on their offense to win games for them, which is something they haven’t been able to say in a long, long time.
Other topics in this episode
- Why did DeMeco Ryans use so much zone defense on Sunday?
- Why you shouldn’t believe Kyle’s explanations for scratching Trey Sermon and rotating Brandon Aiyuk
- One potential trade option at cornerback
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