Deebo Samuel injury is (unfortunately) huge news for the Commanders

All eyes are on the Washington Commanders’ Week 15 clash against the New York Giants. In two weeks, though, they’ll lock horns with a future first-round playoff matchup in the Brock Purdy-led 49ers. Luckily for Washington, the soaring Niners could be without Deebo Samuel for the Christmas Eve showdown.

By no means are we glossing over the Giants. Though Washington got some help over the weekend with New York and Seattle both losing, beating the G-Men would put the Commanders in pole position for the playoffs.

The sheer difficultly of the San Francisco matchup makes Week 15 all the more significant. With convincing wins over the Dolphins and Buccaneers in consecutive weeks (including six straight wins overall), the Niners once again look the part of a team poised for a deep run in the wide-open NFC.

While firing on all cylinders, Mike Shanahan’s group has suffered major injuries in back-to-back weeks. First, Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a likely season-ending foot injury in San Fran’s drubbing of the Dolphins in Week 13.

In Sunday’s lopsided win over Tampa, Deebo Samuel suffered a reported high-ankle sprain that’s expected to keep him out until the playoffs.

Deebo Samuel’s high-ankle sprain is sadly good news for the Commanders.

This is massive news for Washington, as Samuel is all but ruled out for Christmas Eve at Levi’s Stadium.

While the 49ers have other capable playmakers, Samuel is the straw that stirs San Francisco’s drink on offense. He’s not posting earth-shattering numbers like last season, but that’s because the 49ers aren’t reliant on him as they were in 2021. He’s still as dangerous as any player in the NFL with the ball in his hands, and is averaging over 70 yards from scrimmage per game, to go with five total touchdowns.

The sheer attention Samuel commands from opposing defense’s makes life easier for fellow pass-catchers Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. Aiyuk has supplanted Samuel as the go-to target through the air (755 receiving yards and 7 TDs), but he’ll be easier to contain without the fear of Samuel ripping off explosive plays.

Kittle is a matchup nightmare, too, but he’s more used as a blocker in the running game this season — where he’s an absolute people-mover — relative to a pass-catcher. Kittle’s had less than 30 receiving yards in four of the last five games, and has eclipsed the 80-yard threshold just three times in 2022.

Finally, we get to Christian McCaffrey, who’ll likely become the Niners’ offensive centerpiece following Deebo’s injury. In the last two games, McCaffrey’s racked up 185 rushing yards and a touchdown on 5.96 YPC, to go with 10 catches (on 13 targets) for 114 yards and two scores as a receiver.

No fan should ever root for injury. It’s one of the top unwritten rules of fandom.  Pull for your squad’s success, but not at the cost of another player’s health.

Sometimes, though, a team catches a break before a huge matchup, and that’s exactly the case with Samuel suffering a high-rankle sprain two weeks before the Commanders lock horns with the 49ers on Christmas Eve.

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