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          Deebo Samuel's spinning end-around extends 49ers' lead

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterDec 29, 2019, 09:19 PM ET
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          SEATTLE -- Backed up near their goal line in the first quarter, the San Francisco 49ers turned things over to rookie receiver Deebo Samuel to not only get them out of trouble but extend their lead against the Seattle Seahawks.

          After a 30-yard catch-and-run on second-and-7 from the San Francisco's 19, the Niners had second-and-4 at Seattle's 30 with 24 seconds left in the opening quarter. Samuel lined up tight to the formation on the right side and orbited back behind quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who faked a handoff to running back Raheem Mostert.

          With fullback Kyle Juszczyk out in front, Samuel took it from Garoppolo and raced around the left edge with more blockers in front. Samuel cut back inside and executed a nice spin move to evade the final defenders as he danced into the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown run. A lengthy review showed no conclusive evidence that Samuel had stepped out of bounds and the touchdown stood.

          Samuel's touchdown was his third on the ground this season, the most rushing scores by a receiver since Kansas City's Tyreek Hill in 2016. It gave the 49ers a 10-0 lead against Seattle with 24 seconds left in the first quarter.