An injury-riddled season got even worse after Week 13 when the San Francisco 49ers learned they’d lost not one, but two running backs.
Christian McCaffrey is out for the regular season due to a PCL injury, ending an abbreviated campaign that never got a chance to gain steam. His backup, Jordan Mason, is also likely out for the season after landing on injured reserve due to an ankle injury with just five weeks left.
Next in line: rookie Isaac Guerendo, a Louisville product who has seen just 42 carries this season. He’s averaged 5.9 yards per rush, gaining 246 yards and scoring two touchdowns — including one in San Francisco’s most recent loss — but he’s still very green for a new starter.
San Francisco (5-7) doesn’t have much of a choice, though. With this in mind, coach Kyle Shanahan backed his new starting runner when speaking with reporters Wednesday.
“I think he is ready to go,” Shanahan said, via the team’s official site. “(He) did some decent things when he started out. He didn’t get a lot of carries, had some ups and downs but got better through everything. Then, when he got the bulk of the carries, I want to say some more versus Seattle, he only got better and he’s gotten better throughout the year. So, I think he’s ready for this.”
In the game Shanahan referenced, Guerendo saw 10 carries, gaining 99 yards in a 36-24 win in Seattle in a game played in front of a national audience. Since then, he’s received 20 carries, gaining 106 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
That’s pretty solid production, but Guerendo hasn’t yet seen a full workload in a Shanahan offense — a scheme, by the way, that’s known for taking unheralded runners and turning them into legitimate producers. He’ll see plenty more Sunday in a home game against the 4-8 Bears.
“That’s one of those things that just comes with reps. The more reps you get, the more you get the feel for it,” Guerendo said. “The more (reps) I’ve gotten, I think I’ve caught onto that. That’s something that has helped me and will continue to help me.”
Guerendo will make his first start with a full week of work under his belt, which is more than he could say about any prior week in his nascent NFL career. We’ll see if he’s ready for the moment.
