Elijah Mitchell returned to the 49ers’ backfield for the first time since Week 1 on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers and was the game’s top-performing running back.
That normally wouldn’t surprise the 49ers Faithful or coach Kyle Shanahan, except for the fact that the 24-year-old was fresh off a knee injury and, upon his return, slipped into the depth chart’s second spot behind All-Pro Christian McCaffrey.
Simply put, Shanahan wasn’t expecting Mitchell to carry San Francisco’s rushing attack as much as he did in the Week 10 matchup -- but the coach hoped for the best.
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“When Elijah is healthy, he can run the ball. It doesn’t take him long,” Shanahan told reporters following the 49ers’ 22-16 win at Levi’s Stadium. “We always want to see it for ourselves when he comes out in practice, but just seeing him Wednesday and Thursday and Friday, he looked ready to go and that was what we were hoping.”
Mitchell led the 49ers with 89 yards rushing on 18 attempts Sunday, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. McCaffrey, acquired by the 49ers in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers just under a month ago, tallied 38 yards rushing and one touchdown on 14 attempts during the win.
Shanahan explained that the 49ers originally envisioned McCaffrey and Mitchell seeing an equal number of carries against Los Angeles, but the second-year pro saw more action near the end of the game as San Francisco pulled off the comeback win.
“That kind of was our goal before the game started, was to have a goal to have about even carries [between McCaffrey and Mitchell], but you never know how the game goes,” Shanahan said. “And then at the end there when we were just trying to hammer it down, we were just feeling [Mitchell], so we kept him out there.”
The NFL world was eager to see what Shanahan could accomplish Sunday with Mitchell joining McCaffrey and “wide back” Deebo Samuel in the backfield. And while it might not have been the offensive explosion most envisioned after the 49ers blew out the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, the run game still produced a season-best performance.
Of the 49ers' 12 rushing first downs, Mitchell tallied five.
Mitchell's production after returning from an MCL sprain is made all the more impressive considering he played 25 offensive snaps compared to McCaffrey’s 46, though the newest 49er’s dual capabilities also allowed him to pull in four receptions for 39 yards.
“We have a real good back in Elijah, we know we just brought in a real good one with Christian, and it’s nice to kind of make those guys a one-two punch and keep Deebo as the bonus,” Shanahan said. “But I feel both of those guys need another guy to help them, and it’s good that it doesn’t always have to be a receiver.”
Thrust into the RB1 slot last season when Raheem Mostert went down with a knee injury, Mitchell posted historic rushing numbers for a 49ers rookie after being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
And after playing with McCaffrey for the first time Sunday, Mitchell suggested the pair could be the best running back tandem in the league.
Their teammate Brandon Aiyuk agrees, noting after the game that the added element of Samuel makes for one terrifying game plan.
“It is a special backfield,” Aiyuk said after the game. “CMC, Elijah, Deebo all getting carries. We feel like we have people everywhere. We just need to spread the ball around, keep guys fresh and just make defenses think about a lot of different things.”
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In their backfield debut, Mitchell and McCaffrey certainly gave the league plenty to think about.
And it’s only the beginning.