Positive news for Bengals fans, but very bad news for the 49ers offense came out on Friday. Bengals beat reporter Jay Morrison tweeted that star San Francisco running back Elijah Mitchell has been ruled out for Week 14. Morrison also pointed out that wide receiver Deebo Samuel is questionable for the Sunday matchup.
Mitchell left the 49ers loss to the Seahawks in the fourth quarter after suffering a head injury. He was able to come back and finish the game, but entered concussion protocol on Monday. This is a huge loss for San Francisco. Mitchell has been the most productive part of their run game this season. He has recorded 759 yards and five touchdowns. He is expected to return for the 49ers' Week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Samuel hasn't been ruled out for Sunday, but his questionable status is still concerning for the 49ers. The star wide receiver hasn't played since Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings. In the win, Samuel suffered a groin injury that has made his status unsteady for the past couple of weeks.
If he is downgraded to out for Week 14, Jimmy Garoppolo will lose one of his favorite offensive targets. Samuel has 1,006 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 11 games. These impressive stats put Samuel in fourth for the top receiver in the NFL as of Week 14.