Playing for the first time since missing seven games with an MCL knee sprain, running again Elijah Mitchell shows that he can add something else to a San Francisco 49ers offense.
Mitchell finished 89 yards in 18 runs, as San Francisco hit 157 yards in 41 runs in victory 22-16 via Los Angeles charger during a nationally televised Sunday night competition at Levi’s Stadium.
49ers added another talent running again Christian McCaffrey through a transaction from the Carolina Panthers a few weeks ago. McCaffrey finished with 77 yards of scenario with a touchdown with the Chargers, as the two ran again for the first time playing together.
Mitchell said he and McCaffrey could develop into the best rerun pair in the NFL.
“At the end of the day, it helps both of us,” Mitchell said of his new teammate at McCaffrey. “He’s in sixth grade and he’s an unbelievable defender, so I can learn from him and I’m excited for that.”
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan added: “We know we have a really good comeback in Elijah. We know we’ve just brought in a real good thing with Christian. It’s been great to create. get a 1-2 punch for those guys. And we’ll keep Deebo (Samuel) as a reward.”
The win provides another glimpse into just how dynamic San Francisco’s offense is as they head towards a potential post-season run.
The 49ers improved to 5-4 with the win, only half a match behind the leaders NFC West, Seattle Seahawks football team (6-4). The Bolts dropped to 5-4 with a loss, two games behind leaders AFC West Chief of Kansas City (7-2). Chargers host captains at SoFi Stadium next week, while San Francisco will face Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City next week.
49ers have frontline players back from injury at full-back Kyle Juszczyk (finger), Samuel (hamstring) and Mitchell (knee). With a balanced attack, midfielder Jimmy Garoppolo once again did a great job distributing the ball to San Francisco’s talented players, staging an effective offensive performance on the pass by making important throw-ins in the third down leg and in the red zone when the 49ers needed it most.
Garoppolo finished 19 of 28 240 yards and didn’t flip the ball.
“The guys don’t care if they hit 10 goals or one goal,” Garoppolo said when asked about sharing the wealth with players on his team. “If we get ‘W’, ‘W’ is ‘W’. And that’s all we’re here for.”
The 49ers finished with 387 yards of fouls. Seven different players make an explosive turn of at least 12 yards in a running or passing game.
Give credit to the Charger, Justin Herbert and the rest of the Bolts fought bravely, taking a 16-10 lead at halftime without the service of the team’s top two receivers in Keenan Allen and Mike WilliamsBoth are out due to injury.
Herbert had one of the better performances since breaking a rib in the Week 2 competition with the Captains. The University of Oregon product completed 21 of 35 for 196 yards of passing.
Herbert had Bolts on the scoresheet for the first time in the team’s opening game, capped by a touchdown 32 yards ahead DeAndre Carter. The Chargers also took advantage of the San Francisco receiver clutter Brandon Aiyuk and a punt deflected by Nick Niemanncreate a chance for two goals on the field by Cameron Dicker.
However, a major play for the Chargers occurred towards the end of the first half. Street paver in San Francisco Dre Greenlaw was sent off for a personal foul after a hit from a helmet hit Herbert as he scrambled for extra yards in midfield.
According to the TV show, NFL executive vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent, said the league had reviewed the game and determined Greenlaw had bowed and used illegal contact, weapons forcefully and blatantly on the head of an opponent. Greenlaw left the game as San Francisco’s top tackler with seven mixed tackles.
“It really got me thinking,” Shanahan said of the launch. “I understand the penalty. I totally get that, right at the third mark and he’s lowering his shoulders. But I have to learn what that is. …For us to lose to Greenlaw in the game. the whole game, that really shocked me.”
Herbert had to leave the game after the match and was replaced by chasing Daniel for the last two innings of the first half. The Chargers had to tackle another goal on Dicker’s field during that drive and took a 16-10 lead after halftime. Herbert was allowed back into the game in the second half, but LA’s attack never got back on track.
Instead, the 49ers came out in the second half and took control of the game, keeping Los Angeles goalless the rest of the way and holding them to a mere 52 yards of fouls in the second half.
“I’m proud of our team today,” Shanahan said. “I want to play better. I want to knock people out and score goals every time we play, but that team is really good at winning, the Chargers. … But we still found a way to win. .”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for over a decade, including the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN, and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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