SANTA CLARA — Deebo Samuel didn’t get to have much fun on Saturday night in Levi’s Stadium.
During San Francisco’s Divisional Round matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Samuel suffered both a head and shoulder injury. He spent almost as much time in the blue tent as he did on the field.
Samuel injured his head on a helmet-to-helmet hit on the 49ers’ opening drive. He was initially ruled as questionable, but then returned for their next offensive series. Shortly thereafter, he was again ruled as questionable with what appeared to be a left shoulder injury.
When the second half began, Samuel emerged from the locker room tunnel without pads on and was subsequently ruled out for the game. He finished with two catches for 24 yards.
One of San Francisco’s most dangerous weapons, Samuel missed Week 7 and 8 earlier this season with a hairline fracture in his right shoulder. The all-purpose playmaker scored 12 touchdowns in 15 games this year.
Samuel watched the start of San Francisco’s drive to close the first half from the sideline, then went to the locker room early.
At the time Samuel headed to the locker room, the Niners had earned a 7-6 lead — a score that held into halftime as Jake Moody’s kick got blocked. Brock Purdy threw a dime to George Kittle for a 32-yard touchdown strike, and San Francisco’s defense held Green Bay to six points on three trips to the red zone.
Samuel’s shoulder injury occurred on a hard tackle from Packers defensive back Jaire Alexander. In his stead, wideout Jauan Jennings stepped up with a trio of big catches to extend drives.
