Deebo Samuel was key to 49ers ‘getting right’ vs. Rams on Monday night

If the 49ers were going to pull off a win versus the Rams, they needed a star like Deebo Samuel to spark the offense in a major way, which he did.

One might have expected the San Francisco 49ers defense to do its job against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football in Week 4.

Despite the Niners facing their toughest offensive competition of the year to date, coordinator DeMeco Ryans’ side of the ball has been putting together elite-level performances on a week-to-week basis.

And yet San Francisco entered the contest with a 1-2 record, marked by some seriously problematic struggles on offense.

So, if the 49ers wanted to avoid falling to 1-3 at the first-quarter mark of the season, they needed their star power on offense to deliver in a big way.

Thankfully, wide receiver Deebo Samuel did his part to take command of the game.

Deebo Samuel put momentum in 49ers’ favor with impressive TD vs. Rams

The Niners had gotten out to a 7-6 lead over LA, thanks to a long touchdown run by running back Jeff Wilson Jr., but the offense was still lacking for a major play.

So, with time counting down in the second quarter, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was able to deliver a short pass just out of the reach of Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick.

Fortunately, Samuel was able to haul in the high throw, but it’s what he did after the catch that was so special:

Nothing short of a 57-yard catch-and-run touchdown with Samuel both breaking tackles and eluding Los Angeles defenders.

Read More: WATCH: Deebo Samuel makes insane catch-and-run TD vs. Rams

That, right there, shifted the momentum of the game in favor of San Francisco. And while there were moments where it appeared the Rams could get back and threaten a victory, the 49ers defense responded in kind with a clamp-down effort of its own, sacking Los Angeles’ quarterback Matthew Stafford a whopping seven times and forcing a pick-six interception, generated by safety Talanoa Hufanga.

Deebo Samuel helped set the tone for 49ers in Week 4

Samuel might not have been effective on his two rushing carries, gaining just 2 yards overall. But he looked every part like the All-Pro player in the receiving game, ultimately finishing the night with six receptions for 115 yards and the touchdown.

“One guy is not going to tackle me,” Samuel told NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. “That’s just a mindset thing I’ve always had. My dad instilled that in me when I was four years old, playing with six-, seven-, and eight-year-olds. He built the toughness in me, and it shows, week in and week out.”

Likewise, the Niners offense did enough to elongate drives after halftime, even though it was held to only three second-half points outside Hufanga’s game-sealing score.

Speaking of the defense, it also managed to take Samuel’s tone-setting efforts to completely overwhelm Stafford and the LA offense.

Simply put, San Francisco needed a tone-setter for Monday Night Football, and Samuel delivered on his part.