Deebo Samuel asked for the ball more often this week on social media.
When the ball finally came his way at an important moment in the game for San Francisco, Samuel dropped it during a crucial play in a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. The loss hurt the 49ers’ playoff hopes.
The play happened midway through the third quarter with the game tied at 3. The 49ers were driving to take the lead. On third-and-10, Brock Purdy threw a slant pass to Samuel, hitting him right in the hands.
But Samuel dropped it, turning what could have been a touchdown into a field goal, and the home crowd reacted with boos. “I catch that ball, there’s nothing there but the end zone,” Samuel said. “At the end of the day, I gotta catch that rock.”
This drop was part of another disappointing performance from Samuel, who has gone from being an All-Pro in 2021 to having a less productive season this year. He tried to explain why he has only gained 97 yards from scrimmage in the last four games by posting, “Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!” He later deleted the post, but it sparked some reaction on social media, and he said it was due to his frustration.
The 49ers tried to get Samuel involved early in the game, with Purdy targeting him on the first play, but the pass was broken up. Samuel ended the game with three catches on seven targets for 16 yards and two rushes for 3 yards. This marked the fifth straight game he was held to under 30 yards from scrimmage.
However, the play in the third quarter was the most painful.
“That was a big one,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Third down, and with Deebo’s skillset, it was a shot and we didn’t score on the play. Deebo clearly needs to catch that ball.”
The game was a tough one for the 49ers, who were held to just 191 yards, their lowest total in a regular-season game in eight years under Shanahan. They also scored the fewest points since they had only three in Shanahan’s debut in 2017.
“Not good enough,” Shanahan said. “I thought we played good enough to win obviously on defense and special teams. But we didn’t get enough done on offense.”
Both teams struggled during heavy rain in the first half, but the 49ers didn’t improve much after the rain stopped in the second half.
After settling for a field goal on their first drive of the third quarter, the 49ers’ offense stalled. Purdy missed Samuel on a deep pass attempt, and the drive ended with a punt.
Then, after falling behind 9-6, Purdy missed an open Ricky Pearsall on another deep throw in Rams territory. Two plays later, Purdy threw an interception in the end zone to Darious Williams.
“Looking back on it, second-and-11, just be smart, try to check the ball down when I can’t see where he is at,” Purdy said. “So, just got to learn from it.”
It was a difficult night for Purdy, who passed for less than 160 yards for the third time in four games. He completed 14 of 31 passes for 142 yards, with an interception, and couldn’t lead a touchdown drive.
The 49ers lost a game in which they didn’t allow a touchdown for the first time since 2007, and they are almost out of playoff contention.
“I just feel like I had a lot of plays left out there that I could have made for our team,” Purdy said. “I thought the defense and special teams played so good. And that’s what’s hurting me is I just feel like I failed the team. I could have been better for our offense and we could have put up more points.”
