Deebo Samuel will have to sit this one out, and that takes one storyline off the table for the Washington Commanders.
Washington didn’t bring Samuel back this offseason, leaving the former South Carolina standout to wait through the summer before the San Francisco 49ers brought him back in. A Monday Night Football meeting in Week 6 had the feel of a possible payback game for Samuel, but that angle evaporated when he suffered a hamstring injury in San Francisco’s win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Kyle Shanahan confirmed Samuel will miss multiple weeks, and the timing couldn’t be worse for the 49ers receiver. He went down hard in a game where the concern was immediate, and now he’ll be sidelined instead of lining up against the team that moved on from him.
The injury also leaves San Francisco thinner at receiver. Ricky Pearsall, De'Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson, and Christian Kirk are already out, which strips a lot of firepower from the passing game. Even so, the 49ers still have enough talent to create problems for Washington in prime time.
Samuel’s return to San Francisco had gone smoothly. He knew the system, fit back into Kyle Shanahan’s offense without much trouble, and gave the Niners a useful complementary threat even if he was no longer the All-Pro version of himself. That made the idea of facing Washington all the more interesting after the Commanders let him go with little fanfare this offseason.
His path back to this point was a bit surprising, too. Washington had acquired Samuel in a trade with the 49ers for a fifth-round pick, and he more than justified that price. But without quarterback Jayden Daniels or wide receiver Terry McLaurin beside him for much of the campaign, the Commanders never really got the full benefit.
Samuel later admitted the whole free-agency stretch wasn’t what he expected, but things ultimately worked out. Now, instead of a revenge game, he gets a few weeks to heal - and a chance to help San Francisco when the season matters most.
For Washington, the absence of Samuel doesn’t change the bigger picture much. The Commanders are trying to steady themselves after an inexplicable tie with the New York Giants, and Dan Quinn badly needs a response. Their bungled final-play sequence turned them into a national punchline, and the pressure around the team is rising fast.
San Francisco won’t make that any easier. The 49ers are 5-0 and rolling like a real heavyweight, even with injuries of their own. Samuel has been part of that run, but he won’t be on the field to show Washington what it passed on.
That removes one headache for the Commanders. It does not remove the bigger ones.
In Other News...
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The timing could hardly be worse, because the schedule now turns toward one of the leagues toughest tests. Washington heads to San Francisco for a Monday night road matchup against the unbeaten 49ers, a setting that will demand cleaner football and far more resilience from a team already searching for answers, especially with Nick Bosa potentially back in the picture. [Read more 🡒]
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Beyond the raw production, Daniels best moments came from his decision-making, pocket patience and ability to sort through what he was seeing before the snap and after it. Those traits will matter again against the 49ers, who can force quarterbacks into tough reads, and Washington now has a better sense of how Daniels can tilt a game when he is seeing it clearly. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Week 8 Spotlight Problem To Watch
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There is still plenty around the game to make it interesting. The Eagles have four players entering return practice windows, while Washington is dealing with injuries and a difficult trip ahead against the 49ers, which only adds to the pressure on a division race that already feels unsettled. Even if the spotlight shifts elsewhere, this remains the kind of game that could say a lot about where both teams are headed. [Read more 🡒]