Deebo jokes that 49ers rookie Guerendo should have scored a touchdown late in the run

Deebo jokes that 49ers rookie Guerendo should have scored a touchdown late in the run originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Isaac Guerendo could have scored an incredible first touchdown of his NFL career in the 49ers' 36-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.

But instead of a supposed 81-yard touchdown run, the rookie running back opted for a slide at Seattle's 5-yard line with 1:39 to play.

The move confused many, including Guerendo's own teammate Deebo Samuel.

“We wanted to kill time, but he should have scored instead of letting (49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk) score the touchdown,” Samuel said on “NFL on Prime Video” after the game. “But we scored and decided the game.”

After leading the Seahawks by as many as 16 points in the first half, Seattle rallied in front of its home crowd to make it a five-point game in the fourth quarter.

Eager to prevent another late-game collapse against an NFC West rival, Guerendo helped by setting up Juszczyk for a 6-yard score to extend the lead and ultimately secure San Francisco's victory.

After Samuel's initial comments on Thursday Night Football, Samuel playfully doubled down on his reaction to Guerendo's first touchdown.

“I don’t know why he didn’t score, I would have scored,” Samuel said with a laugh. “He said he looked on the sideline and people were telling him to get down. For what? I don't know it. Why was he even looking at the sideline (while he was running)?”

“But this is just huge. It’s kind of a next-man-up mentality.”

In the locker room after the game, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan also had fun with Guerendo.

“What about the freshmen today?” Shanahan said as the team clapped and screamed in excitement. “Malik (Mustapha) has a choice. Renardo (Green) has a choice. What if Isaac had given up his first career touchdown? That was smart, man. Don’t let Juice stick in your ear!”

Although Guerendo unselfishly failed to score the touchdown, he still achieved an impressive feat.

His 76-yard run was San Francisco's longest run of the season and the longest run by a 49ers player since former 49ers standout running back Raheem Mostert recorded an 80-yard run against the New York Jets during the 2020 season. And funnily enough, Mostert is the player Samuel Guerendo remembers.

Guerendo likely won't hear about the ending from his teammates, but after his standout performance under the prime-time lights, there will likely be plenty of other opportunities for the rookie to grab his first career touchdown.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast