Part of the reason why the San Francisco 49ers lost their last 3 games is due to the absence of Deebo Samuel.
His production was certainly missed, but that was not the important factor in their struggle.
The 49ers have had a few series where they have been able to move the ball successfully.
It was the turnovers of Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey that had a negative impact on them.
So it’s not so much that they miss him when the play is live.
Where Samuel’s absence really hurt the 49ers was during the pre-game period.
He played a key role in explaining why the 49ers struggled passing the ball.
This is because Samuel is used in many attacks.
He may no longer be close to being a dominant player in 2021, but he’s still a threat that defenses can’t ignore.
That’s why I call him “Decoy” Samuel because his biggest impact is as bait.
Since he was sidelined, the 49ers have used Ray-Ray McCloud as their mover.
There is no chance the defense will go after that.
They will happily take the opportunity to open up McCloud for a second, as he is unlikely to be a primary target.
Just like in the game above, the defense will continue to commit to stopping the run instead of following McCloud.
If Samuel were there, they would certainly follow him.
He can be a threat with the ball in his hands.
Another reason the 49ers couldn’t pass the ball was because Kyle Shanahan held the ball for too long.
Instead of using the pass to free up the run, he kept running McCaffrey as if something was going to change.
Shanahan was true to his nature in running the football and only gave it up when they fell behind.
Since he won’t change under any circumstances, the 49ers will need Samuel to help the running game come alive again.
Luckily, they got it back after this bye week.
