The San Francisco 49ers picked up a much-deserved victory in Week 14 against the Chicago Bears as Thomas Brown lost his head coaching debut. The Bears were shut out in the first half as San Francisco led 24-0 at the break. The 49ers’ dominant performance kept the team’s playoff hopes alive. But San Francisco’s success hasn’t been accompanied by a resurgence in Deebo Samuel’s performance.
Samuel was targeted just three times on Sunday, accounting for two of Brock Purdy’s 20 completions and 22 of his 325 passing yards against the Bears. The sixth-year WR had five carries, but they totaled just 13 yards. He is now done with less than 25 receiving yards and has failed to score a touchdown in each of his last four games, according to fantasypros.com.
As fans and media began to point out Samuel’s lack of involvement in the 49ers offense, the wideout retaliated on social networks. “I don’t fight at all, I don’t get the ball!!!!!!” Samuel wrote about X. The former All-Pro defended his comment in a separate post, writing, “Just because I’m expressing my opinions means I hate one of my teammates!! Be a Father.
After losing top receiver Brandon Aiyuk to a season-ending knee injury, it was assumed that Samuel would step in to fill the void at the position. But despite playing in 12 games, Deebo is just third on the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards as Jauan Jennings has become the 49ers’ primary weapon at wideout.
The 49ers didn’t rely on Deebo Samuel despite injuries
Of course, Samuel is a dual threat as he is also a capable runner out of the backfield and his 72 total touches so far this season place him second on the team behind RB Jordan Mason. Yet with injuries to running backs Christian McCaffrey, Mason and Aiyuk, most observers thought Samuel would have a larger role. Instead, he becomes less involved.
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The Bears were historically bad in the first half of their Week 14 blowout loss to the 49ers. Chicago only had four offensive yards in the first two quarters. It was the team’s lowest first-half result in at least 24 years. While Chicago improved in the second half, finishing with 208 total yards and 13 points, the Bears were never competitive against San Francisco.
The 49ers improved to 6-7 on the season but remain in last place in the NFC West. Still, the team is just two games behind the division-leading Seattle Seahawks and still has a chance to reach the playoffs.
San Francisco will host the Los Angeles Rams in a huge divisional game Thursday night in Week 15. The 49ers are hoping third-string running back Isaac Guerendo can prepare for the game after spraining his foot during his first start against Chicago.
