Deebo Samuel believes that the San Francisco 49ers can still become Super Bowl champions, despite his calf injury combined with the absence of Christian McCaffrey leaving the team without their two lead targets.
The 49ers have excelled in recent seasons by making the NFC Conference Championship game in four of the last five and going on to qualify for the Super Bowl in two, although they came up short in both games against the Kansas City Chiefs.
As Kyle Shanahan looks to finally take that missing step to get his hands on the Lombardi Trophy, he has been dealt two devastating blows with the injuries of his star running back and Samuel, although the latter doesn’t think it’s season-defining.
“If I’m looking at it like you just said, for as hungry, I’m full at this point,” Samuel said to his Cleats and Convos podcast. “It’s time to really clean the plate. It’s either now or never.
“That’s how I kind of look at it. With the guys that we have, I’ve been a part of the best team in the NFL for the past six years. And so, we’re always there. We got to get it done.”
Samuel and McCaffrey formed one of the most dominant trios in the NFL with quarterback Brock Purdy through 2023 as they combined for 1456 receiving yards, 1684 rushing yards and a total of 33 touchdowns.
But with the Week 2 muscular injury for Samuel meaning he will miss a few weeks of the season, added with McCaffrey‘s position on the injured reserve list leaves the 49ers looking at a six-week absence.
Thankfully for them, they still have weapons capable of stepping up in the form of Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Trent Williams as they look to bounce back from their 23-17 loss to the Minesota Vikings.
Who do the 49ers play in Week 3?
The 49ers are now 1-1 for the season and will look to take a step in the right direction, despite their problems, against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, September 22.
The game at the SoFi Stadium is scheduled to start at 16:25 ET/13:15 PT, and the Rams enter following a brutal 41-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals leaving them bottom of the AFC West with an 0-2 record.
