49ers don’t beat Eagles without these 4 Week 2 MVPs
By Peter Panacy
49ers MVP No. 2: Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel
On a day when 49ers pass-catchers didn’t have much by the way of yardage, wide receiver Deebo Samuel continued his on-fire start to 2021.
Last week against the Lions, Samuel recorded 189 yards and a touchdown, so his six catches for 93 yards at Philadelphia seems like a little bit of a drop in production, right?
Well, considering the next-leading Niners receiver was running back JaMycal Hasty with 21 yards, perhaps Samuel’s Week 2 performance was more than just outstanding.
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Samuel now has 282 receiving yards through two weeks and is averaging 141 yards per contest. While those numbers are certainly unsustainable, there’s no questioning San Francisco is off to a 2-0 start this season in large measure because of Samuel’s efforts.
The 49ers struggled to move the ball for the better part of the first two quarters, and their third-down conversion rate was a lowly 6-of-14 (43 percent). Two of those conversions were to Samuel, though, and one helped set up the Niners’ opening touchdown late in the first half.
Samuel was certainly on his game in Week 2. And while San Francisco will need to get more production out of its other receiving weapons soon, at least the third-year pro has been capable of delivering in a big way.