49ers' Deebo Samuel expected to play in NFC Championship, despite knee injury

Deebo Samuel limped off the field after picking up a crucial first down for the San Francisco 49ers in the final minute of the team's divisional round win over the Green Bay Packers, but coach Kyle Shanahan doesn't sound worried about Samuel's availability for the NFC Championship.

“Deebo took a helmet to the side of his knee/leg on that last play, so he's sore today, but we expect to see him on the practice field this week," Shanahan told reporters Monday.

Samuel, 26, is a wide receiver who finished the regular season with 1,405 receiving yards, but he's also become an increasingly large part of the 49ers' rushing attack. He carried the ball 10 times in each of San Francisco's postseason victories with 111 combined rushing yards and a touchdown.

The 49ers handed the ball off to Samuel four consecutive times after the two-minute warning and he gained 26 yards on those touches to get San Francisco into field goal range.

After the game, Samuel also brushed off the injury, describing it as "just a little stinger."