Injured 49ers star returning to practice ahead of Lions showdown

Santa Clara, Calif. — After missing Wednesday's practice altogether, star San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel plans to return to practice Thursday as a limited participant.

Asked if that was an indication that Samuel — who exited early with a shoulder injury in last week's divisional-round win over the Green Bay Packers — was feeling better, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan simply said, "enough to be limited."

Samuel, a 2021 All-Pro, reportedly entered the week with a 50-50 shot of playing against the Detroit Lions in Sunday's NFC Championship at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. Shanahan said Samuel's return to practice "makes me feel better" but didn't get into specifics on Samuel's progress, or even the injury itself. Imaging tests earlier in the week revealed Samuel did not have a broken bone in his shoulder.

"Just his shoulder hurts," Shanahan said Thursday. "That's all, yeah. It just hurts."

In 15 games this season, Samuel caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns, plus 37 carries for 225 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. While he's just one of many weapons in a high-powered San Francisco offense, the team's splits with and without him are stark. When Samuel suffered an injury to the same shoulder earlier this season, the 49ers went on a multi-game skid, picking up three of their five losses on the season. The Lions would love to not have to cover him this Sunday.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

NFC Championship

Lions at 49ers

▶ Kickoff: 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

▶ TV/radio: FOX/97.1

▶ Records: Detroit (12-5), San Francisco (12-5)

▶ Line: 49ers by 7

AFC Championship

Chiefs at Ravens

▶ Kickoff: 3 p.m., Sunday, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore

▶ TV/radio: CBS

▶ Records: Kansas City (11-6), Baltimore (13-4)

▶ Line: Ravens by 3 1/2