Deebo Samuel did not have fun watching the Super Bowl from afar this year. In fact, it's safe to say the 49ers' receiver believes he and his teammates should have been there again instead of watching from home.
Samuel does have a point. The 49ers this past season dealt with injuries to key players like George Kittle, Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Richard Sherman, Solomon Thomas, Raheem Mostert, Brandon Aiyuk and many others. Oh, and not to mention Samuel himself also missed games due to injury.
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The 49ers went from blowing a late lead last season to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, to going 6-10 and missing the playoffs. But the injury bug played a big part in their decline.
Just about everything went right for Samuel as a rookie. He missed just one game and had 961 total yards in the regular season and six touchdowns. The 2019 second-round draft pick also played a key role in the Super Bowl, finishing the loss with 92 total yards.
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There's no doubt if healthy the 49ers should be back to being contenders again next season. They already have the seventh-best Super Bowl odds for the 2021 season.
San Francisco 49ers
Watching the Chiefs fall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in the Super Bowl surely brought a lot of mixed emotions to 49ers players. Motivation is one of them, and Samuel is ready to be back in the Big Game.