Deebo Samuel-less 49ers team can still dominate Lions in NFC Championship Game, NFL analyst says

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The San Francisco 49ers did not see Deebo Samuel practice on Wednesday, as uncertainty continues to surround one of the team’s top weapons on offense leading up to the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions. 

The 49ers have struggled when Samuel is not on the field, including last week’s come-from-behind win over the Green Bay Packers after he suffered a left shoulder injury in the first quarter. However, NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund thinks the 49ers’ offense is built so second-year quarterback Brock Purdy does not have to put all the weight on his shoulder if Samuel were not to play on Sunday. 

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and his offensive scheme can be thanked for that. 

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Cynthia Frelund attends the 2023 Women of Inspiration Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 28, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

"The ability for Kyle Shanahan to scheme his players open is absolutely incredible," she said on OutKick’s "Hot Mic" Wednesday. "It’s a lot easier for Brock Purdy to be efficient when no one’s more than three yards near someone right? I can be more efficient if my radius is a lot better. When you’re looking at that, I think Brock Purdy is as efficient as the space he has.

"It’s not to say he’s not great and whatever. I’m not a hater. I’m just saying that if a lot of quarterbacks, if they had those weapons in that scheme, they would look pretty efficient, too, and he’s executing it so that’s great."

It is true Purdy and the 49ers’ offense have struggled without Samuel this year, as their least productive offensive games came in the two weeks he could not