Today, the NFL announced running back Elijah Mitchell as a nominee for this week's FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week award for his outstanding performance in the San Francisco 49ers' 33-22 victory over the Chicago Bears. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for San Francisco and improved the team's record to 3-4.
Mitchell, a rookie, rushed for 137 yards on 18 carries (7.6 yards per attempt) and one touchdown in the Week 8 matchup.
The 49ers made Mitchell a sixth-round draft pick out of Louisiana in April. Sunday was his third game of over 100 rushing yards, and the running back has registered 433 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns while adding four receptions for 30 yards through five games and four starts this season.
Additional Ground Nominees
- Pittsburgh running back Najee Harris rushed for 91 yards on 26 carries (3.5 yards per attempt) and one touchdown in the Steelers' win over the Cleveland Browns.
- Rams running back Darrell Henderson rushed for 90 yards on 14 attempts (6.4 yards per attempt) and one touchdown in the Rams' over the Houston Texans.
Voting is open until Wednesday at noon (PT) at NFL.com/FedEx each week of the season. Fans can also vote on Twitter via the @NFL published polls and on the NFL Mobile App.
During the 2021-22 NFL regular season, FedEx will work with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) to make weekly donations of $2,000 in the name of the winning quarterback and running back ($4,000 total) to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) across the country.