Mitchell doubtful after missing week of practice
The optimism the 49ers had Tuesday before rookie running back Elijah Mitchell underwent surgery on a broken finger on his right hand has dimmed considerably.
The 49ers listed Mitchell as doubtful to play Sunday against the Jaguars after the sixth-round pick failed to practice during the week.
“It’s just how he feels with it,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We thought he’d be a little further along now. Obviously, it isn’t. That’s why he couldn’t (practice) today. We’re holding out because we still have 48 hours, but anytime someone doesn’t (practice Friday), it’s tough.”
Shanahan said Tuesday that doctors were
“pretty optimistic” that Mitchell would be able play Sunday with his injury, but he added he didn’t want to mislead reporters because of the unknowns entering the surgery. At the time, Shanahan
didn’t rule out the chance Mitchell could practice Wednesday. General manager John Lynch indicated Friday that Mitchell’s surgeon, who inserted a pin to stabilize his finger, didn’t encounter a best-case scenario during the procedure.
“I think the challenge is he had a type of break that they felt had some encouragement that he would be able to function with it,” Lynch said on KNBR. “But you never know until you (have surgery). And then the surgery might be a little different than what we anticipated. … He’s also got to be able to function. And carrying the football is very important.”
Mitchell was injured Monday in the second quarter of the 49ers’ 31-10 win over the Rams in which he had 91 yards on 27 carries, the most by a 49ers running back in a regular-season game since Frank Gore in 2011 (Raheem Mostert carried 29 times for 220 yards and four TDs in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 19, 2020).
Shanahan said Mitchell, who had 16 carries in the second half, initially thought he had a jammed finger and didn’t mention his injury until after the game.
Mitchell ranks fifth in the NFC in rushing (560 yards) despite missing two games with a shoulder injury. Mitchell and the Vikings’ Dalvin Cook are the only running backs to rush for 90-plus yards in four games this season.
If Mitchell is unavailable, Jeff Wilson will start in his second game since he suffered a torn meniscus in May. Wilson rushed for 28 yards on 10 carries in his season debut Monday. Rookie Trey Sermon, a third-round pick who has one carry in the past five games, would serve as Wilson’s backup.
“Our team feeds off (Wilson) a ton,” Shanahan said. “The more practice he’s (had), the more he’s got his legs under him. He’s ready to go.”
Third-down back JaMycal Hasty (ankle) will miss his second straight game.
Shanahan’s scars: After the 49ers took a 31-10 lead with about 11 minutes left Monday, Mitchell carried the ball on the 49ers’ final nine snaps. Asked if he considered pulling Mitchell from the game, Shanahan pointed to the season-opening 41-33 win against the Lions. Detroit rallied late in the fourth quarter and reached the 49ers’ 24-yard line with a chance to send the game to overtime in the final minute.
“We put in some backups when we were up 41-17 … versus Detroit,” Shanahan said. “So, it’s got to be a long ways away before we stop giving him carries, just from some scars I’ve developed over the years.”
Shanahan’s biggest scar, of course, came in the NFL’s biggest game: He was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator when the Atlanta lost a 28-3 third-quarter lead in their Super Bowl loss to the Patriots in February 2017.