Report: Elijah Mitchell to Miss Two Months of the Season With Knee Sprain

The 49ers suffered another loss in the game against the Bears as Elijah Mitchell is set to miss time with an MCL sprain.
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The 49ers suffered more than just one loss against the Bears in Week 1.

Elijah Mitchell is set to miss about two months of the season with a sprained MCL, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. He is undergoing an MRI Monday to gather further details of the full extent of his injury. Kyle Shanahan is set to speak to the local media on a conference call at 3:30pm, so a light should be shed and confirmed with Mitchell. If the injury is confirmed, then expect Mitchell to be placed on Injured Reserve and for the 49ers to sign a running back. 

Before exiting the game, Mitchell ran the ball six times for 41 yards. He was averaging 6.8 yards a carry, which the 49ers sorely missed when he was ruled out for the game. Jeff Wilson Jr. had nowhere near the same impact or success running the football. It was a struggle for the 49ers on the ground outside of Deebo Samuel. 

With Mitchell out for the foreseeable future, Wilson is sure to become the starter going forward. Ty Davis-Price was a healthy scratch in Week 1, but will likely start to be suited up going forward. Jordan Mason is also available for the 49ers to run out there, which was surprising to see that he didn't even get a look. 

Wilson was struggling against the Bears as he averaged 2.2 yards a carry. In his defense, it was easy for the Bears to overload the box against the run considering the weather made it predictable as to what the 49ers were going to call. 

Still, Davis-Price and Mason should see some opportunities in the coming games. Shanahan needs to go back to incorporating a rotation at running back again unless a player is absolutely dominating. Doing so should at least sustain some sufficient efficiency as the 49ers desperately needed that once Mitchell exited the game. 

Let's see how they will fair going forward running the ball now.


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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.