Deebo Samuel has been a major part of the 49ers offense all season and he came up with one of their biggest plays in Sunday’s win over the Cowboys.
Samuel stepped up in the third quarter after cornerback K’Waun Williams picked off Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott inside the Dallas 30-yard-line. After that play, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel “mouthed something to me” about wanting the ball and that it “makes it a lot easier to call plays” when a player like Samuel wants the ball in that situation.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo handed the ball to Samuel on a sweep to the right and the wideout cut back to find an open path to the end zone.
“When K’Waun got the interception, I looked at Kyle, I was like, ‘Hey, just give me the ball. I got you,’” Samuel said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “So I just went out there, and the next play, I scored.”
The 49ers called Samuel’s number again on a third down late in the game when a first down would have run out the clock. Samuel picked up nine yards, but was ruled down just short of the sticks to set up a wild finishing sequence that allowed the 49ers to move on to the divisional round.
That run might not have gone as well as the touchdown, but Samuel’s overall production makes it a good bet that he will be a major part of the plan in Lambeau Field as well.