Even without star wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the 49ers survived and defeated the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in the NFC divisional playoff round.
But can San Francisco win again without Samuel, this time against the Detroit Lions in Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Levi's Stadium?
If No. 19 is unable to participate due to the shoulder injury he suffered against Green Bay, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes the 49ers will be in serious trouble against the Lions.
“The San Francisco 49ers are not going to beat the Detroit Lions without Deebo Samuel,” Smith said on Monday’s episode of “First Take.”
Samuel left Saturday's game against Green Bay with just over five minutes left in the first quarter after injuring the same left shoulder he broke in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, resulting in the 28-year-old playing three Hasn't been active for weeks.
Samuel's absence led quarterback Brock Purdy and coach Kyle Shanahan to adjust the 49ers' playbook against the Packers and call on other players to step up – a process that proved difficult despite San Francisco's rise.
While injury updates aren't fun, Samuel's seems promising. Shanahan told reporters Monday that there was no fracture in Samuel's shoulder, but San Francisco is being patient with the wideout.
“It wasn’t broken, so that was a really good sign,” Shanahan said. “But he's still hurting too much for us to really have any idea how he'll heal this week. So we have to be patient and see how he feels on Wednesday. Depending on whether things get better, we can better assess whether he has a chance to play or not.”
If Samuel can play, he will provide the huge boost San Francisco was looking for against Green Bay.
In the wideout's final game against the Lions in Detroit, he caught nine passes for 189 yards and a score.
The Lions don't want No. 19 on the starting roster with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line.
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