With Carlos Hyde unlikely to play Sunday, the 49ers will need a trio of running backs to perform well in his absence against the Tampa Bay Bucs.
And that may be a very tall order.
Second-year man Mike Davis, veteran Shaun Draughn and another player promoted off the practice squad – either DuJuan Harris or rookie Kelvin Taylor – will need to put some life into a running game that has faltered recently.
Niners head coach Chip Kelly says he doesn’t believe Hyde’s injury will keep him out long. He could be back on the field for San Francisco’s next game vs. the Saints on Nov. 6 (after a bye week). But against the Bucs this Sunday, the team will turn to Hyde’s backups for help.
Draughn began the season as Hyde’s primary backup, but Davis recently has surpassed him.
In last week’s loss to the Bills, Davis had five carries in relief of Hyde, but gained just 13 yards. In six games, he has just 18 yards on 10 carries, a 1.8-yard average. His rookie season, too, was disappointing. Injuries kept him off the field for much of the season, but in six games he could produce just 58 yards on 35 carries – a 1.7 average – with a long run of just 13 yards.
He came into training camp in better shape this summer, however, and says, “I always feel like I’ve got something to prove.”
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“I always have got a chip on my shoulder, so I go into every game with that mindset,” he told Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com this week.
Kelly told Wagoner that whoever practices best this week will get the most opportunities vs. Tampa Bay.
“I think Mike has just done a nice job and I think Shaun had some opportunities in the Arizona game, but now Mike has done some things in practice,” Kelly said. He said “we’ll see as we go forward” this week about Sunday’s starter.
Kickoff for Sunday’s game at Levi’s Stadium is set for 1:05 p.m.
