Niners back Deebo Samuel is now cleared to play in the NFC Championship Game.
Samuel thought he had a second hairline fracture less than a week ago. On Friday, he and the 49ers got the good news they were hoping for: he can play in Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Detroit Lions.
“In a game like this, you’re forced to put anything on the line,” said Samuel. “In the last five years, we’ve played here four times and lost three times.
One year, we lost in the Super Bowl.” It’s like, “What will it take?” We have everything that we require in this building, so everyone is working together because we know what’s at stake.
The Niners and Samuel are glad to have him on hand for the third time in as many seasons for the NFC Championship Game.
But what might be more exciting is that Samuel doesn’t have any restrictions or limitations going into this game.
Coach Kyle Shanahan even said it’s possible Samuel will keep getting chances to return kicks.
When asked if he was worried about how he would keep himself from getting hurt again, a defiant Sam made it clear that wasn’t at all on his mind. “Nothing is safe with me,” Samuel said.
Samuel’s comeback comes after a tough game against the Packers on Saturday night, both physically and emotionally.
He hurt his shoulder while trying to get extra distance after a catch with 5:35 left in the first quarter of the NFC knockout round win.
Samuel had to shut down the game after several failed attempts to get back into it, which made things tense for him as he watched from the sidelines.
As Samuel put it, “It hurt badly at the time.” It made me a little scared because I thought I had broken it again.
I was nearly there at that point. When that big game came around, I was feeling a lot of different emotions while I watched my team play.
The Niners won a late comeback game to make it to this week’s NFC title game, but Samuel and the rest of the team were still worried about his health.
The injury was like a hairline fracture he got in Week 6 when he played the Cleveland Browns, which kept him out for two games.
“We were genuinely worried following the match because he was unable to re-enter and finish, which continues to be a concern,” he said. “But then receive the medical reports so that you understand it is possible.”
Samuel’s first sign of hope came on Monday when a bunch of tests showed there wasn’t a break. The test proved a deep bruise, so now it was simply a matter of how much pain the person could handle and how quickly they could move their joint again.
Samuel told them that he worked with the Niners’ training staff for “countless” hours this week to get back to full speed.
As the pain began to go away, he didn’t practice in the light session on Wednesday. On Thursday, he did some exercises, but on Friday, he did all of them.
During the parts of those practices that were open to the media, Samuel actively performed his normal work. He went from receiver drills to running backward drills and caught passes from QB Brock Purdy without any apparent problems.
Samuel’s quick recovery also made it simpler for Shanahan to set up the game plan for this week since Samuel was likely to be available.
The 49ers are about as healthy as they can be going into this NFC Championship Game now that Samuel is back.
Shanahan said, “It’s huge.” ” A little worrisome at the start of the week, but by Tuesday, it was all gone today.” There are no limits for him. We can be sure that’s good for us.
Oren Burks, a linebacker who hurt his shoulder in a collision during Thursday’s practice, is listed as questionable. No other player on the current roster of the Niners is assigned to a game.
The Lions’ left lineman Jonah Jackson hurt his knee during last weekend’s postseason win over Tampa Bay, so he won’t be able to play, but their second-team All-Pro middle Frank Ragnow will be there.
Injuries to his ankle, toe, knee, and back have slowed Ragnow down. He didn’t practice until Friday, but he doesn’t have an injury tag for the game.