San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan held a conference call with reporters on Monday to provide an update on the condition of star wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
During the playoff game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, Samuel had to leave the field in the 49ers’ first offensive drive due to a head injury.
Although he was initially cleared to return, his comeback was short-lived, as he later went to the locker room for a shoulder injury assessment. Ultimately, Samuel was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
The 49ers revealed a massive update on Samuel, although there is no definitive answer about his status for next week in the NFC Championship Game against the Lions.
“It wasn’t broken, so that was a real good sign, but still hurting too much for us to really have an idea how it’s going to heal up this week. So we’ve just got to be patient, see how he feels on Wednesday, and based off of if it’s improving, it’ll give us a better idea whether he has a chance for the game or not.”
Shanahan clarified that Samuel had sustained the shoulder injury during the same play that led to his concussion evaluation.
“That was just from spotters upstairs. His head was fine. It was the shoulder and only the shoulder, but I think it looked live like he possibly could have taken a hit in the head. So that was just people from upstairs.”
It’s important to mention that Deebo Samuel had previously suffered a hairline fracture in his shoulder during Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. This injury had caused him to miss most of that game and the two subsequent matches, and the 49ers had a challenging 0-3 record during that period.
While the 49ers offense faced difficulties without Samuel in the lineup for most of Saturday night’s game, they managed to secure a hard-fought 24-21 victory over the Packers. This victory has propelled them to the NFC Championship Game for the third consecutive season.
Their next challenge is hosting the Detroit Lions in a crucial matchup, with the winner earning a chance to reach Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas.
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