San Francisco 49ers Twitter didn't hold back after running back Elijah Mitchell scored a truck stick rushing touchdown in his return against the Arizona Cardinals.

Mitchell played in four games for the 49ers before Sunday's game, rushing for 224 yards on 40 rushing attempts. He nearly ran for 1,000 yards in his rookie season with the Niners, earning 963 yards and five touchdowns on 207 rushing attempts in 11 games played and 10 games started.

Former Fourth and Nine contributor David “Yac” Johnson welcomed Elijah Mitchell back after he went into injured reserve twice with a sprained MCL before returning to the field in the final week of the regular season against the Cardinals.

The Niners couldn't avoid a long-term injury from their leading rookie rusher after running back Christian McCaffrey dealt with knee irritation following a 13-0 shutout over the New Orleans Saints in Week 12.

“49ers hoped to avoid a long-term knee injury with Elijah Mitchell,” the Athletic's Matt Burrows wrote in a late-November tweet. “They didn’t. Mitchell is expected to miss 6-8 week, per Kyle Shanahan. Meanwhile, the 49ers will manage Christian McCaffrey’s “knee irritation” during the week.”

Speculation about Mitchell's return sparked when head coach Mike Shanahan felt hopeful about Mitchell's return in late December.

“Coach Kyle Shanahan said the earliest the 49ers could open the practice window for RB Elijah Mitchell would be Friday,” Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area wrote in a December tweet. “He is making very good progress, Shanahan said, and it appears as if he will definitely be available for the postseason.”

To some, it was like the second-year running back never left.

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The run reminded 49ers Webzone writer and editor Brian Renick of 13-year NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, who earned the nickname “Beast Mode” after a five-time Pro Bowl career highlighted by the “Beast Quake” touchdown run in the 2010 NFC Wild Card playoff game.