CHICAGO — It is never a good sign when a player is immediately ruled out for a game after sustaining a knee injury.
And that is what happened with 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell suffered a knee injury in the first half of the team’s season-opening 19-10 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Mitchell left the game after gaining 41 yards on six rushing attempts. He appeared to sustain a right knee injury on a play in which Bears defensive back Eddie Jackson tackled him low on an 11-yard gain.
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Coach Kyle Shanahan didn't know the severity of the injury or if it is a long-term issue when talking to reporters immediately after the loss.
"I'm not sure," Shanahan said. "[The medical staff] thought he had a chance to come back and then they ruled him out about a quarter later, so not sure yet."
Mitchell figured into the 49ers’ scoring when he provided a block on Deebo Samuel’s 6-yard touchdown run to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead.
The 49ers had three halfbacks active for Sunday’s game: Mitchell, Jeff Wilson Jr. and undrafted rookie Jordan Mason. Third-round draft pick Ty Davis-Price was listed among the team’s seven inactive players.
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Quarterback Trey Lance led the 49ers with 54 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Mitchell, a second-year player from Louisiana-Lafayette, had a productive rookie year. He led the 49ers in rushing with 963 yards and five touchdowns on 207 rushing attempts for a 4.7-yard average.
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However, Mitchell also missed six games due to injuries during his rookie season.