Deebo Samuel had his best game of the season
Another chapter in the San Francisco 49ers book is complete. Week 16 looked much like the previous chapters we’ve read this season. There were positives, negatives, bright spots, and enough miscues to remind you why the Niners won’t be competing in the postseason.
The 49ers are still competing on both sides of the ball and playing hard. Let’s look at some of the Winners and Losers from Sunday.
Winners
Deebo Samuel
Had the 49ers gotten the performance from Deebo Samuel in Week 16 at any point during the previous five games, they’d be in the thick of the NFC playoff race.
Deebo ran mad after he caught the ball, as if he’d be punished if the first player tackled him. Deebo finished with 93 yards after the catch, despite having 96 receiving yards. It was the most yards after the catch Samuel had since his memorable performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023.
Samuel caught seven of his nine targets for five first downs, including a touchdown. Samuel also forced six missed tackles.
George Kittle
Kittle had a better game than Samuel. It feels hollow to put him in this spot every week, but we won’t take it for granted that Kittle is continuously performing like one of the best players in the NFL.
Kittle caught all eight on his targets for 106 yards. The real win for the Niners only needed to use him on four pass-blocking snaps. Of those 106 receiving yards, 71 came after the catch. Kittle had a ho-hum four first downs. He’s spectacular and seemingly wins on every route the offense asks him to.
Dee Winters
After one practice, you could tell that Dee Winters was the linebacker the 49ers coveted as a Dre Greenlaw replacement. He was fast, athletic, and a little out of control, but he had an overall aggression that you need at the position.
That was back in August.
Watching Week 16 play itself out, you wonder how Winters wasn’t on the field all season.
I know he was banged up but when he was healthy, from August till now, it’s laughable that Dee Winters wasn’t playing next to Warner all season. It’s night and day what he brings to the table from that other guy.
— Kyle Posey (@KP_Show) December 23, 2024
Health, inexperience, and contracts are likely the primary factors that Winters was relegated to backup duty.
Winters was all over in Miami, beating blocks to come up and make a tackle against a screen. He nearly intercepted a pass when the ball. In the plays where Winters was targeted, he allowed six of seven passes to be completed, but only for 35 yards. If he can stay healthy, San Francisco has themselves a keeper at linebacker for the formidable future.
Losers
Penalties
It’s impossible to win a road game when you commit 11 penalties. San Francisco had more penalty yardage (90) than rushing yards (81). Pre-snap penalties stalled drives. An Unnecessary roughness flag put Miami into field goal range.
We’ve seen this from the 49ers all season, and if they don’t clean up the penalties in 2025, they can’t expect their fortunes to change.
Jake Moody
After the 49ers’ fourth-quarter touchdown, they should’ve been in the lead had it not been for Jake Moody missing. In road games this season, Moody has made 8 of 15 kicks. He’s a third-round pick hitting a hair over 50 percent of his kicks on the highway. To make matters worse, he’s 2-9 from 40+ yards.
Winners
Renardo Green
Green has been better than expected, even for a second-round pick. Against the Dolphins, Green gave up a 20-yarder but was in position against Tyreek Hill on a red zone fade. But he’s listed here because of the tackling. Green led the team in tackles with nine and had a pair of run stops. Green’s style of play is precisely what the 49ers have been searching for at cornerback.