The 49ers will be without one of their offensive weapons in the NFC Championship.
Elijah Mitchell, who suffered a groin injury last week and did not practice at all this week, will be out for Sunday’s game. It’s a major loss, and a surprise given the stakes and the fact that Kyle Shanahan expressed optimism in the week that he would play.
Instead of tapping rookie running back and third-round pick Ty Davis-Price, San Francisco opted for veteran Tevin Coleman. He was activated from the practice squad as the third running back, behind Jordan Mason and Christian McCaffrey.
The full inactives list is below:
- QB Jimmy Garoppolo
- CB Ambry Thomas
- OL Nick Zakelj
- DE Drake Jackson
- TE Ross Dwelley
- RB Ty Davis-Price
- RB Elijah Mitchell
Veteran corner Janoris Jenkins, who’s played a recent special teams role, is also active, as is Tyler Kroft. Kroft was benched for Ross Dwelley last week after missing a few blocking assignments against the Seahawks, but is back. Rookie defensive end Drake Jackson is out for his fourth-straight game, dating back to the regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
There is also a familiar name from the 49ers backfield leading the inactives for Philadelphia:
- RB Trey Sermon
- QB Ian Book
- CB Josiah Scott
- S Anthony Harris
- LB Kyron Johnson
- G Josh Sills
Mitchell’s status is by far the most substantial piece of news heading into Sunday’s game, and it could force McCaffrey to shoulder an additional load despite entering the game with a calf injury. You’d expect Kyle Shanahan to stick with who he trusts in a game of this magnitude.