San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Deebo Samuel makes huge claim about 49ers ahead of playoffs

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Jan 9, 2024 5:47 PM ET

Dual-threat offensive weapon Deebo Samuel was a rookie when the 2019 edition of the San Francisco 49ers fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV and compared that San Francisco squad to the 12-5 Niners that clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming postseason tournament.

"I feel like as a team, as a player, I feel like we are better," Samuel said during a Tuesday appearance on the FanDuel TV "Up & Adams" program, as shared by David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "We've grown. We know what it felt like to be in that position to lose, and kind of get the number one seed after the game. And I'm just in the locker room, and I'm just talking to the guys that was here in 2019. I said, 'Bro, this kind of feels exactly the same besides the fact that we had to tackle the guy on the inch-yard line.'"

Specifically, Samuel was referencing how San Francisco needed a key defensive stop to claim home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs back in December 2019:

ALL GAS, NO BRAKE ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/cuOXBEOljv
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 30, 2019

According to ESPN stats, the 2023 49ers enter the postseason ranked second in the NFL with an average of 398.4 offensive yards per game. San Francisco is eighth in total defense (303.9 yards surrendered per contest).

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the 49ers as the betting favorites at -125 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVIII and the favorites at +220 odds to win that game. Such an achievement would make for a nice gift for Samuel, who turns 28 years old next Monday.

"I just want to win game by game and just be in the middle of February holding that trophy up," Samuel said on Tuesday. "That's the only birthday wish I got right now."

If Samuel's wish doesn't come true, many will view the 49ers' campaign as a failure regardless of all that the club accomplished during the regular season.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

More must-reads: