SANTA CLARA — The 49ers suffered a tough 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on "Thursday Night Football," but no one on the team was more frustrated than Deebo Samuel.
After the wide receiver made a flurry of social media posts about wanting to get the ball more, coach Kyle Shanahan delivered a game plan that heavily involved Samuel. But one play in particular, a drop that could have been a touchdown or at least moved the team into the red zone, passed through Samuel’s hands.
“Real, very frustrating,” Samuel said. “At the end of the day, catch that ball, there’s nothing there but end zone. I got to catch that rock.”
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The drop led to a 49ers field goal, which were the last points San Francisco would score. Three consecutive field goals by the Rams would lead to a six-point lead and a win.
“Just like seeing the moment, came across the middle and saw nothing but the end zone," Samuel continued. "At the end of the day, got to load the ball and go score.”
Samuel shared that the weather at Levi's Stadium did not impact the game enough to cause issues with the offense. Expecting the rain, the plan was to lean heavily on the run game. The All-Pro shouldered the loss on account of his own mistakes.
Before speaking to the media, tight end George Kittle sat with Samuel at his locker and offered his teammate words of encouragement after the loss.
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“George is George,” Samuel said. “He said, ‘I’ve seen you make that play a million times. Don’t let it eat you up.’ But I feel like [if] I make that play, we win the game.”
The 49ers have an extended 10-day break before they travel to Miami to play the Dolphins in Week 16, but even a win in Florida won't do much to help their very slim playoff chances.