Deebo Samuel talked the talk all year following the San Francisco 49ers' playoff loss to Philadelphia. Sunday, he walked the walk.
Samuel spearheaded a 42-19 demolition of Philly after calling cornerback James Bradberry "trash" and scorching Eagles fans in the offseason. He took none of it back before Sunday's showdown.
"I ain't gonna lie, I was in that zone all week long for us," Samuel said after the win, . "They beat us in the NFC Championship, and at the end of the day, like talking trash, it's just part of the game. Hopefully nobody took it to heart because it's all fun and games."
It's much easier to shrug off the trash talk when you play like Deebo did Sunday. The wideout caught four passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. He also took three totes for 22 yards and another score.
Samuel generated a season-high 138 scrimmage yards and earned his first-career three-TD day. His two receiving TDs each came from 40-plus yards (48, 46), giving him nine receiving scores of 40-plus yards since 2021, including playoffs, the third most over that span (Tyreek Hill: 13; Ja’Marr Chase: 10).
"Going into the week, obviously Deebo had a little something to him," 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said of his wideout. "That's just who he is and he can do that, he's good enough to do that but was it a distraction or anything like that? No … He was pumped about it and stoked and ready to go. And man, all I had to do was get the ball in some space and he did the rest."
Having Samuel on the field makes a world of difference for the 49ers. During their three-game losing streak, Samuel played nine snaps due to injury. Since returning to the lineup in Week 10, the Niners have rattled off four straight wins, averaging 33.5 points per game.
