San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed reporters via a conference call on Monday, offering an update on star wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
During Saturday night's playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Samuel left the field in the 49ers' first offensive drive and underwent an initial evaluation for a head injury. Despite being cleared to return, his comeback was short-lived as he later headed to the locker room for an assessment of a shoulder injury. Samuel was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the game.
On Sunday, Samuel underwent several tests on his shoulder.
"It wasn't broken, so that was a real good sign, but still hurting too much for us to really have an idea how it's going to heal up this week," Shanahan stated. "So we've just got to be patient, see how he feels on Wednesday, and based off of if it's improving, it'll give us a better idea whether he has a chance for the game or not."
Shanahan clarified that Samuel suffered the shoulder injury on the same play that led to him being examined for a concussion.
"That was just from spotters upstairs," Shanahan explained. "His head was fine. It was the shoulder and only the shoulder, but I think it looked live like he possibly could have taken a hit in the head. So that was just people from upstairs."
It's worth noting that Samuel had previously sustained a hairline fracture in his shoulder during Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, forcing him to miss most of that game and the subsequent two matches. San Francisco went 0-3 during that stretch.
While the 49ers offense struggled for much of Saturday night's game without Samuel in the lineup, the team managed to secure a 24-21 victory over the Packers, advancing to the NFC Championship Game for the third consecutive season. They are set to host the Detroit Lions in a battle for a chance to reach Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas.
