San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel had a stat line never before seen in NFL history today: Zero catches, 80 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
How is that possible? A player can gain receiving yards or score a receiving touchdown if he gets the ball after a teammate has caught 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 lateraled to Samuel at the 49ers’ 20-yard line. Samuel raced up the left sideline to the end zone for a touchdown. So Samuel got the 80 yards from the spot where he grabbed Evans’ lateral, and he got the touchdown. He just didn’t catch the pass.
Other players have had receiving yards and receiving touchdowns without catching a pass, but Samuel’s 80 receiving yards without a catch are 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 49ers’ win. He did about as much as a wide receiver can do without catching a pass.