The San Francisco 49ers will have star running back Christian McCaffrey available for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The same thing can’t be said for Elijah Mitchell.
Just over an hour before kickoff from Philadelphia, the 49ers ruled out their top backup running back with a groin injury.
This can’t be seen as a good thing for either the young running back or his team. McCaffrey is already battling through a calf injury he suffered in last week’s win over the Dallas Cowboys. San Francisco would prefer as much depth as possible behind a banged-up CMC.
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As for Elijah Mitchell, his first two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers have been defined by stellar play when on the field and myriad injuries. A sixth-round pick out of Louisiana back in 2021, Mitchell has missed 18 of a possible 37 regular-season games. When he’s actually available, we’re talking about one of the most-dynamic young backs in the game.
- Elijah Mitchell stats (2021-22): 252 attempts, 1,242 rushing yards, 4.9 average, 22 receptions, 144 yards, 1,386 total yards, 8 TD
With Mitchell inactive in this one, rookie undrafted free agent Jordan Mason will be RB2 for San Francisco. He saw limited action during the regular season, putting up 258 yards on 43 rush attempts for an average of 6.0 yards per run.