Irvin discusses Deebo's ‘phenomenal' game in 49ers' win

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Deebo Samuel missed the 49ers' first three games this season while recovering from a fractured foot, and then missed three games with a hamstring issue before coming back following the team's Week 11 bye. And what a return it was, as Deebo caught 11 of his 13 targets for 133 receiving yards, helping the 49ers snap a three-game losing streak with a 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin joined 95.7 The Game on Monday, and broke down what he saw from Samuel's "phenomenal" performance.

"He's been sitting back, injured, and listening to everybody talk about all these other recievers," Irvin said on "Damon, Ratto and Kolsky." "That game was his, 'Hey, don't forget about me, I'm over here too.' We're talking about DK Metcalf, A.J. Brown and everybody, and not giving enough credit to Deebo Samuel. He had a phenomenal, phenomenal game."

Samuel was just a yard shy of his career-high of 134 yards, set in last year's thrilling win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. His rookie season performance led many to set sky-high expectations for the young wideout.

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Numerous injuries across the 49ers' offense have tempered those expectations, but Samuel's talent was on full display Sunday. His physicality, in particular, stood out to Irvin.

"He's too physical to have said he's a receiver that we're playing at running back," Irvin continued. "He's a running back, that you're playing at receiver. Receivers aren't born to be that physical, even when I got in the league and played really physical, that shocked people. So you know how shocking it is to have Deebo come up and try to run you over."

While most receivers look to avoid contact in the open field, Samuel treats each potential tackler as an opportunity to run through someone.

RELATED: Samuel, Sherman return to big roles in 49ers' win vs. Rams

Although Samuel hasn't played much this season, he has owned the Rams in two matchups with LA.

The 49ers will need that hard-nosed running down the backstretch of the season as San Francisco tries to climb back into the NFC playoff picture.

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