The San Francisco 49ers extended their streak of defensive dominance on Sunday, shutting out their fourth-straight opponent in the second half and securing the 13-0 win over the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, the victory was not an injury-free one for the 49ers, who had two of their starters exit the game early and another two miss playing time as they worked through less severe knee issues.
On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed his initial injury report on running back Elijah Mitchell. The sophomore back did in fact suffer another MCL sprain against the Saints. It is not a continuation of his MCL sprain from Week 1.
"It wasn't the news we were looking for. He'll be out likely six to eight weeks," the head coach said. "He's pretty disappointed. Everyone knows how good Elijah has been, how hard he worked to get back from the last one and how good he's been playing. To be right back there, I know he's really down on it... He's going to have six weeks of frustration, but hopefully, we can do our job so when he comes back, we're still playing."
Per NFL rules surrounding the Injured Reserve list, a player can go on multiple times during the year and still return. The latest updates to the IR rule allow teams to activate up to eight players from that list per year.
Rookie guard Spencer Burford suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Sunday's contest. Per Shanahan, he hopes to have his offensive lineman back sometime this week. Running back Christian McCaffrey developed a knee irritation during the game which the head coach says will be managed throughout the week. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel sustained a knee contusion on Sunday but was not named on Monday's list of injuries.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who took a big hit on a second half snap that resulted in a roughing the passer penalty on New Orleans, also managed to stay off the 49ers injury list.
"It was a relief that no serious injuries came up," Shanahan said. "He's pretty sore today, so hopefully, he will work that out by Wednesday, but nothing serious."
As for defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who is still working his way back from separate foot and ankle injuries, the plan is for him to return to practice on Wednesday. Friday was his first workout back since the team's Week 4 contest versus the Los Angeles Rams.
49ers Add a Cornerback to the Practice Squad
Cornerback Janoris Jenkins is the newest member of the 49ers practice squad. Jenkins has played ten seasons in the NFL as a member of several organizations including the St. Louis Rams (2012-15), New York Giants (2016-19), New Orleans Saints (2019-20) and Tennessee Titans (2021). He adds depth to a 49ers cornerback room that has suffered two season-ending injuries in 2022.
"He's played at a very high level in this league and to get a player who's been like that throughout his career to come to our practice squad, we felt pretty fortunate," Shanahan said. "You always want as good of depth as you can have."
Players will have the day off Tuesday before diving into game week preparations for the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday.
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