Elijah Mitchell is in the Concussion Protocol

First the 49ers lost the game. Then they may have lost their starting running back.

Elijah Mitchell currently is in the 49ers' concussion protocol and could miss the upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mitchell suffered this concussion in the second half Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks when he got forearmed in the helmet. He laid on the ground for a few moments, walked to the sideline, got checked for a concussion, passed the NFL's indepedent doctor's tests, returned to the game and then reported feeling symptoms Sunday night.

“The evaluation we do is the same that the whole League does," said head coach Kyle Shanahan. "So, that's stuff that happens all over. I know if you come in the next day with a headache, you automatically go in the protocol. So there's lots of things that go into that. It’s something that I don't know a lot about. I listen to what they say and the whole League has the same concussion protocol rules, and that's what everyone goes by.”

Now the 49ers are extremely thin at running back. Raheem Mostert and Trey Sermon both are on Injured Reserve, and Jeff Wilson Jr reaggrivated his knee injury in Seattle.

“When people come back from a big injury, it's lots of words that go with it that I'm told, disc, bursae sacs, things like that, but people have things flare up and that's happened with Jeff a couple times," Shanahan explained. "It happened a little bit in the game and that's why he was struggling a little bit, but it’s why he wasn't taken out either. He was there in case of emergency. And I know he's doing a little bit better today. Like it has been, I'm sure it'll get better each day as we go here.”

If Wilson and Mitchell can't play this Sunday, the 49ers only healthy running back will be JaMycal Hasty.