The San Francisco 49ers are rolling right now, coming off a dominant 13-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday to extend their winning streak to four games. Unfortunately, San Francisco received some awful news at the worst time regarding running back Elijah Mitchell on Monday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan reported on Monday that Mitchell has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL and is expected to miss around 6-8 weeks.
Kyle Shanahan told reporters that 49ers’ RB Elijah Mitchell is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with the knee injury he suffered Sunday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 28, 2022
Mitchell has already missed time with a knee injury earlier this season. He was hurt in Week 1’s game against the Chicago Bears and didn’t return until Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers. So this is extremely disappointing for the second-year running back.
Mitchell has been splitting time with star running back Christian McCaffrey upon returning to the lineup, and more pressure will undoubtedly be put on him to produce in Mitchell’s absence.
49ers fans are certainly very disappointed by this news and took to social media to express their frustrations with this diagnosis.
Re: the bad Elijah Mitchell injury news — reminder that Jordan Mason was the 49ers' most effective runner yesterday. 5 yards per carry and he delivered when it mattered most: to salt the game away.
It's Jordan Mason's time for the 49ers
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) November 28, 2022
Elijah Mitchell was averaging 5.4 yards per carry over the last three weeks. He gave the #49ers an excellent 1-2 punch along with Christian McCaffrey. His absence gives Jordan Mason and Ty Davis-Price a chance to compete for the backup role behind McCaffrey.
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) November 28, 2022
Tough break for a club that seemed to have a heck of a 1-2 punch at the running back position. https://t.co/ghKMvSHns6
— Newy Scruggs (@newyscruggs) November 28, 2022
If you play RB for the Niners, you will get hurt. https://t.co/st1oNqm0Tw
— Jess Root (@senorjessroot) November 29, 2022
Jordan Mason only played nine snaps but was the highest-graded Niner yesterday (91.4). https://t.co/vSsPe1ckRZ
— Jeff Deeney (jeffdeeney on Threads) (@PFF_Jeff) November 29, 2022
Perhaps the only silver lining for the 49ers is that it certainly seems plausible that they could get Mitchell back for a potential postseason appearance should they clinch their spot.
The 49ers have been known to be largely a team that has favored a running back-by-committee approach under Shanahan.
This injury could certainly present some opportunities for bench players such as Jordan Mason or Tyrion Davis-Price to make a real impact behind McCaffrey.
Regardless, Elijah Mitchell has been an extremely underrated piece of the 49ers’ offense in recent weeks, and his injury stands as a major blow to their offense down the stretch of the season.
