San Francisco receiver Deebo Samuel had a stat line unseen in NFL history today: zero catches, 80 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
How is this possible? A player can gain receiving yards or score a receiving touchdown if he gets the ball after a teammate catches a pass, and that’s exactly what Samuel did.
On the 49ers’ first offensive possession, Brock Purdy threw a short pass to Mike Evans, who headed toward Samuel at the 49ers’ 20-yard line. Samuel ran down the left sideline to the end zone for a touchdown. So Samuel got the 80 yards from where he caught Evans’ lateral, and he got the touchdown. He just didn’t catch the pass.
Other players have received receiving yards and touchdowns without catching a pass, but Samuel’s 80 receiving yards without a catch is a new NFL record. The previous record belonged to Eagles running back Timmy Brown, who gained 65 receiving yards without catching a pass in a 1961 game against the Steelers.
Samuel also ran the ball twice for 14 yards, and he recovered the Cardinals’ onside kick with 33 seconds left to clinch the victory for the 49ers. He did just about everything a wide receiver can do without catching a pass.
Gn sports
