Samuel suffers high ankle sprain
An injury that inspired anguish might not turn out to be quite as awful as it appeared.
San Francisco 49ers All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel appeared to be in tears as he left the field on a cart Sunday with an injury to his left ankle. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan characterized the injury as “most likely” a high ankle sprain after a 35-7 win over the Buccaneers.
That’s not necessarily great news, but the 49ers were at least slightly encouraged after the immediate aftermath suggested Samuel’s season was over.
The injury still could place Samuel’s availability for the playoffs in jeopardy. High ankle sprains can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to recover from, and the 49ers’ first playoff game should be in five weeks.
“We’re praying that it’s nothing too serious,” Christian McCaffrey said, “and he can come back and join us.”
Samuel was injured when his left leg was bent awkwardly at the end of a 3-yard run on which he lost a fumble. After Samuel was examined on the field, he attempted to walk off with assistance without placing weight on his left leg. However, Samuel then went back down on the field, yelling an expletive in frustration, and a cart was summoned.
A flood of teammates came over to offer support before Samuel was visibly upset as he exited to the locker room, briefly holding his right hand over his face.
The 49ers, who were leading 21-0 when Samuel exited, scored on their next two drives to take a 35-0 lead in the third quarter.
“I’m sad for him,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “It sucks to see one of your brothers go down like that. After that, you want to play for him and it adds an extra level of motivation and focus to the group.”
M&M backfield: Led by McCaffrey, who had 119 rushing yards, the 49ers gained a season-high 209 rushing yards and averaged 5.8 yards a carry.
McCaffrey ceded the backfield duties to undrafted rookie Jordan Mason after scoring on his final run, a 38-yarder that gave the 49ers a 35-0 lead with 14:01 left in the third quarter.
And Mason, 5-foot-11 and 223 pounds, continued his recent string of impressive work by totaling 56 yards on 11 carries while routinely pinballing off defenders.
“Watching a guy like Jordan Mason, the way he runs, it’s inspiring to all of us,” McCaffrey said. “It makes me want to be better.”
Mason has rushed for 132 yards on 24 carries, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt, in his past three games.
Injury report: The 49ers, who were already without defensive tackles Javon Kinlaw (knee) and Hassan Ridgeway, dealt with more attrition to their defensive front.
Defensive tackle Kevin Givens (knee) and defensive end Kerry Hyder (ankle) were unable to finish the game.
The 49ers’ healthy linemen on their 53-man roster who can play inside are Arik Armstead, T.Y. McGill and Charles Omenihu.
The 49ers also had two cornerbacks exit early. Rookie fifthround pick Samuel Womack suffered a concussion and Dontae Johnson had a knee injury after he was promoted from the practice squad Saturday.