SANTA CLARA — The impact of Deebo Samuel’s tackle-breaking runs is felt by the 49ers' offense, but Nick Bosa believes it’s equally as effective for the defense.
After the team's 30-12 win over the New York Giants on Thursday, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year shared how Samuel’s tremendous effort impacts the team altogether, especially defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.
“100 percent,” Bosa said. “Kris goes nuts and we laugh at him. He has some goofy celebrations on the sideline."
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Samuel ended the night catching six of his 12 targets for 129 yards and a touchdown with seemingly much of his yardage coming after the catch while running over defenders.
The receiver’s touchdown reception might have been the only play where the “wide-back” didn’t need to break a tackle after the catch. In the middle of the fourth quarter, quarterback Brock Purdy found Samuel on a 27-yard back-shoulder throw in the end zone for the offense’s fourth-longest play of the night.
The receiver, along with Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, all set the tone for the 49ers' bruising style of offense. Bosa feels like then, there is even more responsibility on the defensive side of the ball to maintain the physicality.
“Deebo, Christian and George, just the amount of physical runs they have, definitely gets us going as a defense,” Bosa said.
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The energy is felt on both sides of the ball and Kittle had his own standout performance catching seven of his nine targets for 90 yards on Thursday night. The All-Pro tight end appreciates Samuel’s effort and sees how it spreads across the team.
“Every time you give him the ball, he breaks multiple tackles,” Kittle said. “The attitude is we are going to be as physical as we can and Deebo does such a fantastic job with that.”
The 49ers will have a little extra rest before they return to Levi’s Stadium to host the Arizona Cardinals on October 1. They will need to use the time to recover to be able to deliver the same type of blows to their divisional opponent.