It's been a trying year at times for 49ers running back Jeff Wilson, but on Sunday he stepped up a highlight performance when his team needed it the most -- and he looked like his old self in the process.
Wilson spent the first half of the season sidelined after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus he sustained over the offseason while lifting weights. He came into the game with just 44 carries for 139 yards on the year after rushing for 600 yards and seven touchdowns in 2020 and could have been in line for a big 2021 showing if he was healthy due to a season-ending knee injury to starter Raheem Mostert. But rookie Elijah Mitchell seized control of the lead back role in Wilson's absence, while Wilson spent much of the season trying to return to the same form he showed last year.
With Mitchell sidelined for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons due to a concussion and knee issues of his own, the 49ers called on Wilson to deliver, and he did so with the third 100-yard game of his career, totaling 110 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown in a 31-13 win. It was a great moment for Wilson, who was clearly satisfied with his performance on the day.
"Today was one of those days where I felt like myself," Wilson told reporters after the win. "I felt like old Jeff, before all the stuff happened. It was a good day and I felt very good."
It was a long time coming for Wilson, who had to work for months in order to get back to the level he showed on Sunday. He admitted that frustration set in for him at times over the past few months, but he made it through with the help of others around the organization.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't frustrating. It was very frustrating," Wilson said. "Not so much as me wanting to be out there or doing this, doing that. It was just me being able to contribute to the team the way I know I can. So that part was frustrating. But just being out there, being around the guys, being around the coaches, that made it better. They all kept me up, kept me upbeat and told me to keep pushing."
Wilson made his season debut in November after spending the first half of the season under the Physically Unable to Perform designation. Since then he's continued to take strides to get back to 100 percent, showing improvement that's been obvious in practice.
"He's improved a ton," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday. "We all know exactly what Jeff is, so it's not that he was ever just not good or anything. But it's hard when you get hurt in OTAs and then your first practice is Week 6 or whatever that was. So it's taken him a while to get fully his legs back. He's been looking so much better these last few weeks. Each week he gets stronger and stronger."
But even though he's gotten healthier since November, Wilson says he still has a ways to go before he can call himself 100 percent.
"I know I'm nowhere near where I want to be," Wilson said. "This game was obviously good. We won. It was a victory. But I know I still got a lot of improvement to do and I've still got a lot to learn from, so this is only the beginning."
Wilson looked pretty strong on Sunday, however, which is great news for a 49ers team that is rounding into form offensively at the right time. Once Mitchell returns, he and Wilson could create a potent running back tandem for the 49ers as they head down the stretch. Wilson seems to be in a good spot at the moment to make that happen and will continue to have his teammates behind him every step of the way.
"Without those guys, I don't know where I would be," Wilson said. "I've been here four years, so a lot of the guys that's around here have been around for a while with some new faces, but it's home. Those brothers are big brothers to me, and they always have been. So it's not something made up or something make believe. It's something that's happened over the years. So it's all love."
