What Deebo said to Shanahan right before TD vs. Cowboys

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- 49ers star Deebo Samuel isn’t shy about much on the field and that includes asking for the ball. 

In the third quarter of the 49ers' 23-17 win over the Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Game at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, the versatile wide receiver asked Kyle Shanahan for the ball and paid back the favor with a touchdown run. It was quite a series of plays for the team, who at the time, was leading 16-7. 

Jimmy Garoppolo and the offense had yet to score in the second half and Dallas was on the field for their second drive. D.J. Jones sacked Dak Prescott for a loss of 13 yards and then on the ensuing play, K’Waun Williams picked off the Cowboys quarterback, giving the ball back to the offense. 

“Right before he went out there, he mouthed something to me which I kind of guessed was, ‘Give me the ball,’ Shanahan said. “When I look at him talking that way, it’s extremely motivating and he makes it a lot easier to call plays.” 

From the shotgun, Garoppolo took the snap and handed it off to Samuel. The receiver ran the ball to the right sideline, slowed his pace, cut back inside to the open lane and outran two defenders into the end zone.

“That is absolutely right,” Samuel said. “When K’Waun got the got the interception, I looked at Kyle and said, ‘Hey, listen. Give me the ball. I got you.' So I went out there and on the next play, I scored.” 

Garoppolo loves the focus of his wide receiver and is happy to oblige when when Samuel’s number is called. 

“I literally saw it happen,” Garoppolo said. “We were walking on the field together, me and Deebo. I saw him look at Kyle and he had that look in his eye. Kyle made a great call and let the guy go make a play.” 

Samuel finished the day catching all three of his targets for 38 yards, but maybe even more impressive were his 10 carries for 72 yards, including the 26-yard touchdown run that he requested. What impressed Shanahan was how Samuel took advantage of his opportunity. 

“It was unbelievable,” Shanahan said. “It’s not at all where we thought the play would go, where it’s designed to go. Usually it goes outside, he stopped, reversed the field and if he gets a lane he is running through everyone’s arm tackles. Deebo has been a stud all year.” 

The touchdown stretched the 49ers' lead to 16 points and gave them momentum headed into the roller coaster of a fourth quarter. 

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Samuel’s 72 rushing yards are the most by a receiver in a postseason game in NFL history and he also owns the record for the third most yards rushing with his three-carry, 53-yard performance in Super Bowl LIV. James Lofton’s 71-yard carry for the Packers against the Cowboys in the 1983 Divisional Playoff Game ranks second. 

“It was just a little sweep in front of Jimmy and they kind of overplayed it,” Samuel said. “I played it kind of slow and saw the cut back and hit it. They were overplaying it a lot today and just being patient and just seeing the hole and hitting it as fast as I could.”

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