Published at 12:09 p.m., December 12, 2022.
Last update: December 12, 2022 12:51 p.m.
After winning six consecutive games, the San Francisco 49ers have become the NFL’s most popular team. They lost wide receiver Deebo Sampson to an injury at the ankle in their victory over Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Deebo Sams, a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers gets gang-tackled in Tampa Bay by the Buccaneers. This resulted to an injury to Deebo’s ankle at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara. (Image: Getty)
Tampa Bay native and Buccaneer Tom Brady lost his homecoming to the 49ers, beating them by 35-7.
Brady was defeated by Brock Purdy (a rookie quarterback), who took his first game. Purdy stepped in to replace Jimmy Garoppolo, who had broken his foot. Purdy prevailed in his first start to help extend the 49ers’ winning streak.
After struggling to win at 3-4, the 49ers won six straight and climbed up the NFC West. They now hold a 2-5 advantage over the Seattle Seahawks (6-6). They’re a massive favorite at -2000 odds to win the division over the Seahawks at +1000.
Week 14 saw the 49ers cover -3.5 against Bucs. The 49ers improved to 8-5 in the spread against point spread thanks to a 5-1 ATS record during their winning streak.
Even with their recent upsurge, there are still only +900 chances that the 49ers will win Super Bowl LVII. The 49ers are the fifth-highest team on DraftKings’ NFL futures board. The 49ers, who are +300 odds to win the NFC Championship title, are the second favorite team on DraftKings’ NFL futures board. The consensus favourite Philadelphia Eagles is the favorite at +160 odds of winning the NFC championship.
Samuel Could Be Sidelined By Injury for The Rest Of 2022
Samuel got carted off the field at Levi’s Stadium because of an ankle injury in the second quarter. Because of his injury, he fell onto a running play and lost the ball. Fans weren’t happy that the Bucs legalized the play as it almost became a dirty play.
He’s tough as hell and he tried to walk off,” Nick Bosa, Nick’s teammate. “Just hoping for the best.”
Samuel had been targeted by Purdy five times before his injury. He caught four passes for 43 yard. He added 4 rushes of 21 yards to his total yardage, which is 64 yards.
Samuel was able to catch 54 passes, totalling 612 yards. He also scored two touchdowns during 12 games. His average catch was 11.3 yards.
The versatile Samuel is also used as a running back in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He’s rushed 41 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns. His average rush distance was 5.6 yards.
Samuel was responsible for 840 yards from the scrimmage, five total touchdowns and a total of 528 yards. He’s second on the 49ers in receiving yards and third overall in rushing yards.
Samuel, who sustained an ankle injury against the Bucs, was out for the second period. However, X-rays didn’t reveal any fractures.
“Most likely a high ankle sprain,” said Shanahan after the game.
Samuel will undergo more testing on Monday to determine how much time he’ll miss. A high ankle strain can leave wide receivers sidelined for as long as four to six months. The severity of an injury will determine the length of time it takes. Since it’s so close to the postseason, the 49ers could sit Samuel for the rest of the regular season to preserve his health for the playoffs.
After this injury, #49ers Deebo Sams is being taken off the field. pic.twitter.com/JHwa0lSi7Z
— NFL Unlimited (@NFLUnlimited) December 11, 2022
Seahawks at TNF on Deck
The 49ers have a quick turnaround in Week 15 with a Thursday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks. Luckily for the 49ers, it’s a short flight from San Francisco to Seattle.
Week 2: The Seahawks won 27-7 over the 49ers. Garoppolo, who was the reserve quarterback to replace Trey Lance in Week 2, fell on his ankle early in the game. A win would secure the 49ers a NFC West division title, as well as a home match in round one of the playoffs.
The 49ers, if the season were to end today would be the third seed in the NFC Playoffs. They will compete with the #2-seeded Minnesota Vikings (10-3), and the #1-seeded Philadelphia Eagles (12-1).
The 49ers have another road game on Thursday. They visit the Las Vegas Raiders (5-8) on New Year’s Day in Week 17. Two more home games are played by them, the Washington Commanders (7-5-1 on Christmas Eve in Week 16 and the Arizona Cardinals (4-6) in the last game of the season.
