The San Francisco 49ers have had a very disappointing season, but the hits just keep coming for WR Deebo Samuel after his TNF performance.
After complaining about his usage and then putting up a measly 3 catches for 16 yards against the Los Angeles Rams, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for Deebo. The latest name to call out Samuel is San Francisco icon and NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who went on 95.7 The Game on December 16 and criticized Deebo.
“I don’t know what is going on, because the weirdest thing is I think he had like three catches for 16 yards… for me, I would have been pissed. I would have been pissed at myself, I would have been pissed at the whole scenario, and I would pretty much go to work on the football field, at practice,” Rice said. “That ball that he dropped, after you complain about not getting that many touches, you cannot drop the football. Because everybody is going to get down on you and they’re going to come after you.”
Samuel’s struggles have been representative of the team’s overall issues. While injury has definitely hampered the team, San Francisco just hasn’t executed at a high enough level in 2024.
Purdy Struggles After Deebo Comments
Samuel’s drop against Los Angeles certainly invited on more criticism, but he may deserve some leeway due to passing offense struggling in general. 49ers QB Brock Purdy completed just 14 of 31 passing attempts for 142 yards and an interception.
Samuel was targeted 7 total times and only made three catches. Meanwhile, WR Jauan Jennings was targeted a whopping 9 times and only brought down 2 receptions for 31 yards.
TE George Kittle did lead the 49ers in receiving with 61 yards, but even he only registered 4 catches on 7 targets. It’s not just Deebo, there’s clear systemic issues with how San Francisco approaches the passing game.
Not having top targets like WR Brandon Aiyuk and RB Christian McCaffrey are clearly an issue. But 49ers fans will have to wonder if Purdy is actually a top-tier NFL QB or if the armor is starting to show cracks.
49ers’ Mixed Response After Deebo’s Drop
It’s hard to keep composure after a playoff-killing loss, but the Niners organization was able to do that when discussing Deebo. That being said, that does not mean there still wasn’t criticism of the 49ers WR.
In his post-game press conference, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan made it concise and clear: Deebo could have scored if he hadn’t dropped the pass.
“Yeah, that was a big one. Everyone knows the answer there, Deebo knows he needs to catch that,” Shanahan said.
Meanwhile, Kittle offered a more direct form of encouragement for the 28-year-old receiver.
“There’s things that you just have to take on the chin,” Kittle said. “Take ownership of it, leave it in the past and move on. Because there’s better days ahead for Deebo. There’s plays to be made for Deebo and he has more opportunities ahead of him to make plays for this team.”
Samuel and the 49ers will have a chance to bounce back against the Miami Dolphins on December 22, but it’s too late to fight back into the playoffs.
