Second-year San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell just can’t stay healthy. Mitchell missed seven games earlier this season due to an MCL sprain he suffered in the opener against the Chicago Bears.
Joining a backfield led by the recently acquired Christian McCaffrey, Mitchell had returned to form in two games since returning from said injury, tallying 148 rushing yards at a clip of 5.5 yards per rush.
Unfortunately, it looks like the former mid-round pick from Louisiana will be sidelined for some time. Mitchell suffered a knee injury in the first half of Sunday’s 13-0 win over the New Orleans Saints and didn’t return. Initial reports are that San Francisco believes Mitchell suffered a sprained ACL in the opposite knee as the one he injured in Week 1.
The good news? 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t think it’s as serious as the aforementioned early-season injury. The bad news? Mitchell will miss some time.
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San Francisco 49ers need Christian McCaffrey to step up with Elijah Mitchell sidelined
McCaffrey put up just 32 yards on 11 attempts on Sunday, adding four catches for 17 yards. It was, by far, the worst performance in his young tenure with San Francisco.
Now that Mitchell is going to be sidelined for multiple weeks, it’s time for McCaffrey to perform at the level we know he can. Heading into Sunday’s game, McCaffrey had tallied 394 total yards in four games since San Francisco acquired him from the Carolina Panthers in a blockbuster trade.
- Elijah Mitchell stats (2021): 963 rushing yards, 19 receptions, 137 receiving yards, 1,100 total yards, 4.9 average, 6 TD
As you can tell, Mitchell was an important part of San Francisco’s run to the NFC Championship Game last season. Even with McCaffrey aboard, depth is now an issue. In fact, undrafted rookie free agent Jordan Mason closed up shop Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium.
San Francisco has an upcoming outing against the first-place Miami Dolphins next week. That game features former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as well as recently-traded former San Francisco running back Jeff Wilson. McCaffrey needs to perform at a high level to provide some balance for Jimmy Garoppolo if the 49ers are going to win their fifth consecutive game.