5 takeaways from 49ers dominant Week 14 victory over Buccaneers

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Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

49ers takeaway No. 2: Deebo Samuel, Niners dodge a bullet

Fans everywhere would have groaned in absolute frustration when Deebo Samuel went down in agony late in the first half, clutching his knee and then having to be carted off the field.

The 49ers pay a heftier price to the football gods than most if not all of the NFL, and it seemed this would be the latest sacrifice for the winning streak.

But there was good news, with reports that Samuel suffered merely a high-ankle sprain and not a broken ankle or torn knee. He’ll still face some time on the sidelines, perhaps as long as the beginning of the playoffs, but it wasn’t the season-ending setback that some would have feared.

Samuel had a good half, with four rushes for 21 yards and a touchdown to go with four receptions for 43 yards. His production will be missed, but Brandon Aiyuk is more than capable of filling the gap.

There has been some criticism of Samuel being used the way that he is, but truthfully, this is all the benefit of hindsight. There weren’t many fans complaining about his usage when he scored his touchdown, and the fact of the matter is sometimes injuries happen to a physical football team.

Fortunately, this won’t cost the Niners for the long term, but not having him against Seattle will no doubt be a blow.