San Francisco 49ers running back Tevin Coleman was in on 18 snaps before an ankle injury knocked him out of the Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That leaves Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert left to shoulder the load on offense, and from the sounds of it, the two are prepared for the task. They are the only healthy running backs remaining on the roster. Although, the 49ers could add another, such as Jeff Wilson from the practice squad, before Sunday.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday that he is hopeful to have Coleman back by the 49ers' home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 22, but a post-bye-week return is more likely.
"Any time you lose one of your guys, one of your brothers goes down, it's going to hurt the rest of the team, and it's going to put more on you," Breida told Greg Papa and John Lund during a Thursday KNBR interview. "We prepare for that stuff during training camp. Raheem Mostert is going to do a great job, and me and him, if we've got to go in the game, we're going to take care of business, and we're ready for this, so it's not new to us."
Breida was hindered by an ankle injury last year but managed to rush for a career-high 814 yards with three touchdowns while adding 27 receptions for another 216 yards with two more scores through 14 games before being shut down at the end of the season.
"The ankle is fully healed. I'm back to 100 percent," Breida said. "It was rough last year playing with it every week, being hurt, but that's part of football. You want to be out there with your brothers and play, even if that means being hurt. I'm happy and glad I'm back healthy now, and can do everything I want to do."
With Coleman out, Breida managed 15 carries for 37 yards against the Buccaneers. It wasn't the offensive showing that he or the offense had hoped for.
"I definitely think we came out there and we were able to execute the plays that we wanted to, ok," Breida explained. "I feel like we do a better job, definitely, making sure everybody's on the same page and everything.
"I think a lot of that is just the rust. None of us had played a full game yet. We played a half, I think, through most of preseason, so as guys get back out there, they're not going to have the rust. I feel like we'll do a better job this week."
The offense will have to do a better job if it hopes to escape Paul Brown Stadium and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday with a win. The Bengals are 0-1 but looked impressive against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 and went toe-to-toe with what many perceived to be a much better team.
Breida believes going against the 49ers defense during practices is a benefit heading into Sunday's game.
"I feel like they've got an awesome front four," Breida said, "and I feel like our defense has been giving us good looks all week. I feel like we've got a great D-line, too, and they've been giving us the best looks they can.
"It's going to be another challenge for us this week, though, to control the line of scrimmage. We're looking forward to it, and we're going to go out there and get after those guys."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Breida below.
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