The San Francisco 49ers running back problems aren’t getting any better.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Monday that Isaac Guerendo suffered a foot sprain during Sunday’s 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears. With a short week ahead of them – the 49ers take on the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night – it is unclear whether Guerendo will be able to play.
“We’ll evaluate him in the coming days and see if he has a chance,” 49ers’ Lindsey Pallares said.
While it appears Guerendo’s injury is relatively minor, the 49ers are in a precarious position if they want to bounce back from this latest setback.
The 49ers placed starting running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve last week after he went down again with a leg injury. The team is hopeful he can return at some point, but McCaffrey shared a post on social media that hinted he was done for the season.
McCaffrey didn’t make his season debut until Week 10 while dealing with a calf and Achilles injury. If he is truly out for the rest of the season, he will have played in just four games. Backup running back Jordan Mason did an excellent job filling in for McCaffrey, but Mason was also placed on injured reserve due to a high ankle sprain.
That left Guerendo, who did very well in Sunday’s win. He ran for 78 yards and had two touchdowns on 15 carries, and he had another 50 receiving yards on two catches.
Guerendo also seemed to have little trouble with his foot injury on Sunday, which is a good sign.
“Everything is fine,” Guerendo said after the game, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “They were just careful. We’ve had a quick turnaround this week, so we need to make sure we’re ready to go.
If Guerendo can’t play on Sunday, Patrick Taylor Jr. the next on the depth chart. He had a season-high 25 yards and a touchdown on seven carries on Sunday. Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Israel Abanikanda are also available.
The 49ers’ win on Sunday snapped a three-game losing skid. The win kept them in the running for a playoff spot despite their 6-7 record. A win on Thursday night against the Rams would go a long way toward that postseason push. However, if Guerendo isn’t on the field, it will be much harder for the 49ers to make that happen.