49ers starting RB Mitchell suffers injury to knee

CHICAGO — For the second consecutive year, the San Francisco 49ers‘ starting running back departed the season opener with a knee injury.

Niners starter Elijah Mitchell departed the 49ers’ 19-10 loss Sunday to the Chicago Bears with a knee ailment just before halftime.

It wasn’t immediately clear how Mitchell got hurt, though his last snap before the injury was receiver Deebo Samuel‘s 6-yard touchdown run with 10:11 left in the first half. Mitchell was blocking on the outside for Samuel on the play and it appeared a Bears defender rolled into the back of his legs.

Mitchell had six carries for 41 yards before exiting. Entering his second NFL season, Mitchell has dealt with myriad injuries, including a hamstring injury that kept him out of the preseason. In 2021, he set a franchise rookie rushing record with 963 yards, adding five touchdowns despite missing six games with multiple injuries (ribs, knee, finger, shoulder and concussion).

With Mitchell out, Jeff Wilson Jr. stepped into the primary running back role with rookie Jordan Mason as the backup. Tyrion Davis-Price, a third-round pick out of LSU, was a pregame inactive but is also on the 53-man roster.

Mitchell’s injury comes almost a year to the day after Niners starting running back Raheem Mostert left the 2021 season opener against the Detroit Lions with a knee injury of his own. Mostert missed the rest of the season before signing with the Miami Dolphins in the offseason.

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