DETROIT – After a pair of promising companies seemed to be preparing the ground for a great performance, San Francisco 49ers runner-up Raheem Mostert left Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions with a knee injury and will not return.
Mostert led twice for 20 yards on San Francisco’s second possession, but headed for the side shortly after a 9-yard gain in the second play of the series. Rookie runner Elijah Mitchell stepped in for Mostert and had a 38-yard touchdown in the series after Mostert’s injury.
The Niners initially announced that Mostert was questionable to return, but was ruled out with an official announcement in the early third quarter. Mostert spent the rest of the first half on the bench without a helmet, while Mitchell and teammate JaMycal Hasty took the snapshots.
Mostert comes to a season plagued by injuries as he played eight games last year as a knee sprain and a high ankle sprain cost him two and six games, respectively. He averaged 5.01 yards per carry in the eight games he played in 2020.
Rookie runner Trey Sermon, who the 49ers drafted in the third round this year, is also on the roster, but was inactive Sunday before the game against the Lions.