49ers running back Elijah Mitchell is inactive for San Francisco's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
Mitchell suffered a groin injury during the Niners' Divisional Round win over the Cowboys last week, but was able to play through the pain to collect 51 yards off 14 carries.
Mitchell did not participate in any practices this week due to the injury, the only player other than Jimmy Garoppolo to miss all three sessions. While coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that he expected Mitchell to be available Sunday, those hopes were dashed with the confirmation that the RB was on the list of inactive players.
Two other key offensive producers, wide receiver Deebo Samuel (ankle) and running back Christian McCaffrey (calf), also had limited practice time leading into Championship Sunday, but unlike Mitchell both of them were able to avoid a questionable designation on Friday's injury report and will be active to try to help their team to a Super Bowl LVII berth.
The 49ers activated veteran RB Tevin Coleman from the practice squad to the active roster ahead of Sunday's game.
Mitchell was placed on injured reserve twice in the 2022 season due to separate MCL injuries, but when he was on the field, he averaged 55.8 rushing yards per game and 6.2 yards per attempt in his five regular season games.
Considering that Mitchell had already missed significant time during the regular season with his previous injuries, the 49ers will be disappointed that this groin issue resulted in him missing more time in the playoffs.
The 49ers and Eagles kick off in Philadelphia at 3 p.m. ET.
