From the moment Deebo Samuel left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury, the 49ers’ offense wasn’t the same. When Christian McCaffrey left with an oblique injury in the second half, everything skidded to a halt.
A lot of that was functional. Ray-Ray McCloud had issues getting aligned in Deebo Samuel’s role and the 49ers’ offense was heavily penalized.
Any extended absence for Samuel would be a substantial loss.
Samuel, it appears, has avoided a major injury, but will undergo further testing. The following comes from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
Jordan Schultz also reported that the team believes Samuel “will be fine,” which would be a major relief if true, though vague.
San Francisco will have an extra day of rest before a Monday night trip to Minnesota. That extra day can prove substantial in situations like these.