The San Francisco 49ers will be without Elijah Mitchell for about two months.
The running back sprained his MCL in the team’s season-opening loss to the Chicago bears on Sunday, and he’s expected to miss about two months recovering, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Mitchell left the 49ers’ 19-10 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field early in the second quarter, and did not return. It’s not clear how he hurt his leg specifically, though a Bears defender rolled onto the back of his legs while he was blocking on the outside for Deebo Samuel — who scored a six-yard touchdown on the play.
Mitchell had 41 rushing yards on six carries in the game.
The 24-year-old is in his second season in the league. He ran for a franchise rookie record 963 yards and five touchdowns last season with the 49ers, but only played in 11 games due to multiple injuries. Mitchell missed the preseason this fall, too, due to a hamstring injury.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.