The San Francisco 49ers are gearing up for the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, and all eyes are on Deebo Samuel. The star wide receiver was forced out of their Divisional Round win over the Green Bay Packers early with a shoulder injury, but there is hope that he will be able to return to action for San Fran in their big game against Detroit.

Samuel was forced out of the Divisional round game early in the first quarter, so he ended up missing virtually the entire contest, which very nearly tanked the Niners offense. Instead, they kept their season alive, and while Samuel didn't practice on Wednesday, he will be returning to the field in a limited capacity on Thursday, which is a big step in the right direction for him.

Via Omar Ruiz:

“Deebo Samuel will be limited in practice today, Kyle Shanahan says.”

John Lynch confident Deebo Samuel will be able to suit up for 49ers

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel looking excited

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Photo: John Lynch saying "Nope!", Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk in action in 49ers jerseys beside him

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Christian McCaffrey on the left, with his brother Luke on the right.

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Cooper DeJean and Jalyx Hunt in Philadelphia Eagles uniforms on one side, Ja'Lynn Polk and Caedan Wallace on the other side in New England Patriots uniforms

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By all accounts, Samuel's gameday status on Sunday could end up coming down to the wire, but it's encouraging to see that he is making positive strides towards taking the field for San Francisco. While fans everywhere are holding their breath everytime they see an update on one of their top players, general manager John Lynch seems quite confident that Samuel is trending in the right direction to play in this game.

“Deebo's doing really well in his rehab, I'll tell you that. We've been encouraged by the early signs. We did the scans and all that. We got good news there. And then it's kind of, ‘Okay, what's his pain? What's his range of motion?'” – John Lynch, Murph and Markus

If Samuel ends up playing, he's not going to be 100 percent healthy, but at this time of the year, nobody is fully healthy. It'd be tough to imagine that Samuel sits this game out due to what's on the line, but he may not have a choice if his injury doesn't heal in time. Deebo's injury status is one of the most important storylines ahead of this game, and you can bet everyone will be checking in again tomorrow to see what his practice status ends up being.