Fourth quarter, down by four points in the season opener, and the 49ers needed a hero. Enter Jerick McKinnon. Finally.
McKinnon sprinted out of the backfield and caught a go-ahead touchdown pass.
It is exactly what the 49ers envisioned when coach Kyle Shanahan signed him two years earlier, before two knee surgeries followed and put McKinnon’s dual-threat ability on hold and his career in jeopardy.
McKinnon’s first touchdown since 2017 — as a Minnesota Vikings sub — got overlooked by some. That’s because, well, the Arizona Cardinals answered with their own to claim the Week 1 upset.
Then came last Sunday’s win over the New York Jets, and more McKinnon highlights. He found the end zone again, on a 16-yard dash to the right sideline to cap the 49ers’ scoring in a 31-13 win. Earlier, however, he improbably converted a third-and-31 run into a 55-yard gain from the 49ers’ 11-yard line, and left tackle Trent Williams was in awe.
“He might be one of the only running backs who can do that out of a traditional I-formation,” Williams said Wednesday. “He’s showing us all that work he put in has definitely propelled his game.”
McKinnon is poised to make his 49ers starting debut Sunday when they face the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, where the 49ers believe a “sticky” synthetic surface contributed to four players’ knee injuries last Sunday.
“I know Jet is up for the challenge. I know his body’s up for the challenge,” said coach Kyle Shanahan, noting that McKinnon is “good to go” and not requiring a limited snap count.
Whereas defensive ends Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas suffered anterior cruciate ligament tears, running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman left with knee sprains, which will keep them out this return trip and vault McKinnon atop the depth chart. Jeff Wilson Jr. also should see more snaps in relief, and look for undrafted rookie JaMycal Hasty to debut off the practice squad.
“Every time he’s gotten an opportunity, he’s come through for us,” Shanahan said of McKinnon’s 2020 action. “With those two being out, he should get more opportunities this week and he deserves it.
“He’s excited for it and we’re excited to see him.”
McKinnon said Sunday that the victory spread positive vibes that were especially needed not only to rebound from Week 1 but in light of the Week 2 injuries.
“It’s next man up, for whoever that is to come in and fill that role to the best of their abilities,” McKinnon said.
Left tackle Trent Williams has seen McKinnon’s comeback up close since the offseason, when McKinnon trained at the Houston gym Williams owns with current Detroit Lions running back Adrian Peterson.
“It’s hard to even think he’s human sometimes after watching him,” Williams said. “I’ve never seen anybody work on the level with Adrian Peterson and bring the same intensity to the workout, until he himself brought Jet down there. Jet works like a machine. That’s why I can’t imagine him on the field and not being a breakout player and not being that guy who can carry the load as an every-down back.”
Even though McKinnon is “not the biggest fan of turf,” and that MetLife’s new field proved “a little thick” last game,” that ground surely is more suited for his breakaway speed than the montonomous treadmills he ran in rehab after his September 2018 ACL tear.
“You just have to adapt to it and make it work,” McKinnon added.
Perhaps the greater unknown when it comes to the 49ers’ shift-on-the-fly running back corps is Hastsy. An undrafted rookie out of Baylor, his 5-foot-8 electrified in camp, and because no opponents saw that shiftiness in exhibition games, the 49ers were able to sneak him onto the practice squad, where they protected his rights this week from potential poachers.
“He’s got that twitch to him. His cuts are very decisive when he’s running the football,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “I’m excited to watch him. He’ll do a great job if he gets in there, and it’ll work out if he has a great week of practice.”
