49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel is still recovering from pneumonia that sidelined him during San Francisco's 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend at Levi's Stadium.

He spent Sunday through Tuesday in the hospital with fluid in his lungs, but is making cautious progress ahead of San Francisco's Week 8 game against the Dallas Cowboys on "Sunday Night Football."

"Honestly, I really couldn't breathe, for real," Samuel told reporters Friday. "I didn't really know what was wrong until after the game."

Living, let alone sprinting while wearing shoulder pads and a helmet, was difficult for the 28-year-old. But Samuel knew something was especially wrong when not even adrenaline could give him energy during pregame warmups before the highly anticipated Super Bowl LVIII rematch.

"Probably when I went out to pregame warmups and I had no energy to run or anything for a while," Samuel said. "Then I came in and we tried to do a little IV [to] get some energy. Luckily, we found it right after the game and everything.

"Yeah, it was scary because it was kind of hard to breathe, really. You can't take deep breaths."

Deep breathing is essential for any athlete. It was wise for Samuel to reassess rather than play sick.

Fortunately for Samuel, he is in much better shape heading into the 49ers' Week 8 matchup with the Cowboys, claiming to have "felt good" in recent practices, a promising sign.

The hospital stay, however, wasn't so positive. Samuel didn't like the doctor's office, but he played video games to distract himself.

“I have hospital anxiety," Samuel said. "I don't like being in the hospital. But whatever it takes for me to get better, you know, I'm all for it. Those two days in there, it was cool. I had my brother in there [and] I brought my game. I was really just in there chilling and getting all the treatment I needed."

San Francisco missed Samuel's production last Sunday. He should be close to returning, considering coach Kyle Shanahan listed him as questionable for Friday's 49ers-Cowboys game.Samuel has been known for his strength and speed throughout his six-year NFL career. Those traits have been evident in his recovery from pneumonia.