The San Francisco 49ers’ running back woes aren’t getting any better.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Monday that Isaac Guerredo suffered a sprained leg in Sunday’s 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears. With a short week ahead of them — the 49ers take on the Los Angeles Rams Thursday night — it’s unclear if Guerredo will be able to play.
“We’ll evaluate him over the next couple of days and see if he gets a shot,” via 49ers’ Lindsey Pallares.
Although Guerredo’s injury appears to be relatively minor, the 49ers are in a precarious position when it comes to returning from this latest setback.
The 49ers placed running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve last week when he went down with another foot injury. The team is hopeful he can return at some point, but McCaffrey shared a message on social media that indicated 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 indeed out for the rest of the season, he will only appear in four games. Backup running back Jordan Mason did a solid job filling in for McCaffrey, but Mason was also placed on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain.
That leaves Guerredo, who worked very hard in Sunday’s win. He ran for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and had another 50 receiving yards on two catches.
Guerendo didn’t seem too bothered by his leg injury on Sunday, which is a good sign.
“Everything is fine,” Guerredo said after the game, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “They were just cautious. We’ve got a quick turnaround this week, so just making sure we can get going.”
If Guerredo can’t play Sunday, Patrick Taylor Jr. is next on the depth chart. He had a season high of 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 a 6-7 record. A win Thursday night against the Rams would go a long way toward that postseason push. Without Guerendo off the field, though, it will be more difficult for the 49ers to pull it off.
