Deebo Samuel's carelessness almost cost his team the win. Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Deebo Samuel nearly costs 49ers game with brutal fumble

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 9/12/21

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Detroit Lions as expected on Sunday, but they certainly made things needlessly interesting late in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers held a 24-point lead against the Lions in the fourth quarter Sunday, but Detroit stormed back with the help of an onside kick recovery to make it a 41-33 game. Still, the 49ers needed only one first down to ice the game.

They got it on third down, but as wide receiver Deebo Samuel crossed the marker, he had the ball punched out by Detroit’s Trey Flowers, leading to a fumble that changed the game completely.

FUMBLE AND THE @Lions DEFENSE GETS IT BACK!

Drama in Motown. #OnePride

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— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2021

Samuel had the first down, and had he been able to hold on and go down, that would have been it. Instead, the Lions got another chance. Fortunately for Samuel, the defense held firm, and the 49ers held on to win.

The error shouldn’t distract from the rest of Samuel’s day, which saw him make nine catches for 189 yards and a touchdown. He’ll still be the most relieved man in the building, though, and we can add his turnover to the list of near-misses in terms of costing teams a game.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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