Niner Noise
FanSided

5 takeaways from 49ers comeback win over Cardinals

By Robert Morrison

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 17: Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne #84 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring on a two yard touchdown reception ahead of cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. #33 of the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of the NFL game at Levi's Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 17: Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne #84 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring on a two yard touchdown reception ahead of cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. #33 of the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of the NFL game at Levi's Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 17: Wide receiver Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the football after a reception against safety Jalen Thompson #34 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of the NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 17: Wide receiver Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the football after a reception against safety Jalen Thompson #34 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of the NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Deebo Samuel coming out party

For a moment, enjoy the numbers for 49ers rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel for the last two games. He’s caught 16 balls on 21 targets for 246 yards (15.4 YPC) and 11 first-down receptions.

Oh, and he did this on Sunday against the Cardinals:

Catch of the year, indeed. I still don’t know how he managed to do it.

In any respect, in the absence of George Kittle and with wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders‘ role lessened due to his rib injury, Samuel, the rookie second-round pick out of South Carolina, has more than filled the void.

Most importantly, Jimmy Garoppolo trusts Samuel, as evidenced by the quarterback even making the above throw while his receiver is covered that closely in the first place (side note: there was defensive pass interference called, but the catch was clean and the 49ers declined; you could argue that was why Garoppolo threw it, but I’m going with trust).

We’ve been saying this all year, but once Kittle and Sanders (not to mention running back Matt Breida) get back to full strength, having a top-notch third receiving option is a major bonus for the 49ers offense.

Samuel’s coming-out party the last few weeks (he was actually good against the Cardinals the last time out, too, with four catches for 40 yards) will go a long way towards building up a stronger, more robust offensive repertoire. This is something any contender needs.