The San Francisco 49ers lost a key player over the weekend as Jerick McKinnon went down with an ACL tear in his right knee, ending his season before it began.
The Vikings know how dangerous McKinnon can be as a runner and a pass-catcher. He played four years in Minnesota and nearly gathered 1,000 all-purpose yards in his final season. His greatest detriment, though, in his Vikings career was his inability to stay healthy. Now he’ll miss the matchup against his former squad because of a season-ending injury that he suffered on the final play of Saturday’s practice.
“Jet, he tore his ACL,” said Everson Griffen, affectionately referring to McKinnon by his nickname. “We never want to hear that about a guy. I was real excited to get to go up against him. I know he was all pumped up and fired up.”
Without McKinnon — who received a lucrative four-year, $30 million contract in free agency — the 49ers will turn to a tandem of running backs, much like McKinnon was part of last year in Minnesota after Dalvin Cook’s ACL tear.
Twenty-nine-year-old Alfred Morris, who signed with the 49ers in mid-August, should get a decent chunk of the workload. He’s coming off an efficient season in Dallas where he rushed for 4.8 yards per carry while sharing carries with Ezekiel Elliott. Morris, though, has never been a big contributor as a receiver, maxing out at just 17 receptions in the 2014 season with the Washington Redskins.
Their backup is the speedy Matt Breida, a former teammate of McKinnon’s at Georgia Southern who totaled 465 rushing yards and 180 receiving yards his rookie year with the 49ers. Breida was believed to be in line for a significant role in Kyle Shanahan’s offense even before McKinnon’s injury.
“I feel like they’re going to use me a lot in the offense this year more anyway,” Breida said in a story published at ESPN.com. “So, I’ve been ready. [McKinnon’s] going to help me a lot. Alfred’s knowledge of the offense can help me a lot, and me and Al and Raheem [Mostert], we’re all going to get the job done.”
Mostert is a fourth-year player with just eight career carries, but with Morris still relatively new to the offense, Mostert may get extra work.
Of course, the 49ers offense will likely revolve around quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who has yet to lose a game in seven starts with the New England Patriots and 49ers. The loss of McKinnon takes away one of his playmakers, however, and could help the Vikings keep San Francisco’s offense one dimensional.
“First and foremost, I feel like we have to stop the run,” said Griffen. “If you stop the run, you have the privilege to rush the passer. I think that is what we have to do. If we do that, we always have a chance to have success or win the game.”
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