Breaking: Deebo Samuel puts the ‘wideback’ stamp on Christmas clash as 49ers and Cowboys trade late blows
Deebo sets the tone on a cold Christmas stage
Deebo Samuel is not waiting for the lights to find him. He is the light for San Francisco tonight. The 49ers are feeding their dual-threat star early and late, and Dallas is feeling every yard after contact. This is December football, and Samuel is delivering it with a stiff arm and a burst.
From the first series, Kyle Shanahan moved Samuel all over the formation. Slot. Backfield. Wide left. He got touches on quick hitters and motion looks. The plan was clear. Get Deebo the ball in space. Let him break tackles and build rhythm. Dallas rolled a safety into the box to meet him. Deebo kept carving out extra yards anyway. [IMAGE_1]
The ‘wideback’ problem Dallas must solve
Defenses talk about angles with Samuel. If the first man misses, the play explodes. Dallas tried to crowd the edges. Corners pressed him at the snap and linebackers widened to the flats. It slowed him at times, but it also opened seams elsewhere.
I watched the Cowboys toggle between nickel and dime to keep speed on the field. They were willing to give up a slant to avoid the big run after catch. The 49ers countered with orbit motion and quick screens. It forced Dallas to declare coverage early. Brock Purdy read it, and Samuel punished soft leverage.
- Press at the line, then rally fast to the ball
- Spin a safety late to the curl window
- Force Samuel to the sideline, never inside
- Wrap low and trap the legs, no arm tackles
If the first defender misses on Deebo, the second must arrive in a hurry. San Francisco designs it that way.
Late drama, and Samuel’s fingerprints on it
This one tightened in the fourth quarter. Brandon Aubrey drilled a 51-yard field goal to push Dallas ahead 30 to 20. San Francisco answered with a focused drive built on short game and tempo. Jake Moody hit from 51 to trim it to 30 to 23 with the clock ticking. The stadium felt the swing.
On those series, Samuel’s impact was obvious. Motion forced the Cowboys to bump and chase. That created clean access throws. He turned a short catch into chain-moving yards, and his presence drew extra eyes. Even when he was a decoy, the coverage tilt freed Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle on key downs. Earlier, Aubrey even lined up from 58, a sign of how every yard mattered and how both teams were hunting points from anywhere.
Score update late in the fourth: Cowboys 30, 49ers 23. Both kickers hit from 51 on back-to-back pressure drives.
This is the tug of war you expect in a heavyweight game. Samuel is leaned on in these pockets. It is why he is central to Shanahan’s script and to the unscripted moments that decide it. [IMAGE_2]
The player who changes the math
Samuel came into the league as a second round pick with a running back’s mindset. That blend is now a position all its own. The 49ers call it wide receiver. The league calls it a problem. He breaks tackles like a back. He threatens the perimeter like a sprinter. He turns five yards into 25 because he finishes runs and invites contact.
The cultural piece matters here. Deebo is the identity carrier for San Francisco. When he gets the ball, the sideline wakes up. The defense rests a little easier. The offensive line blocks a little longer. It is tone. It is swagger. It is also efficient football. Short throws turn into first downs. Screens steal possessions. And designed runs give Shanahan the numbers edge in the box.
Dallas learned again tonight that you cannot single him on bubbles and slants. Not for long. Safeties creep down. Corners play inside leverage. That is when the 49ers hit you up the seam to Kittle or take a shot to Aiyuk. Pick your poison, and hope your tackling is clean.
Everything San Francisco loves, motion, misdirection, play action, becomes more dangerous when Samuel touches the ball early in a series.
What decides the finish
As the clock drains, two things decide it. Can Dallas keep Deebo corralled after the catch. Can the 49ers stay on schedule with his touches and avoid third and long. If Samuel keeps winning on first and second down, the playbook stays wide open. If the Cowboys pin him to the boundary, they can force longer kicks and thin margins.
Either way, Samuel has already shaped the night. He tilted coverages. He sparked drives. He forced hard choices. In a game ruled by inches and field goals, that influence is the difference. The ball keeps finding No. 19. And in December, that is usually a winning sign for San Francisco. 🔔
