Running back Carlos Hyde is fully cleared from the league's post-concussion protocol, having stripped off his no-contact jersey for Thursday's 49ers practice.
Hyde's health is pivotal to Monday's opening-night matchup pitting him against Los Angeles Rams counterpart Todd Gurley _ and opposing defense's sturdy front lines.
"Both teams are going to play to their strengths, and both have two outstanding backs in Gurley and Hyde," 49ers coach Chip Kelly said.
Hyde is having deja vu. A year ago, the 49ers opened on Monday night against a more celebrated running back in Adrian Peterson. Hyde responded with 168 yards and two touchdowns in the 20-3 win over the Minnesota Vikings and Peterson (10 carries, 31 yards).
"Just like last year, going into the Monday night game, all the talk was about Adrian Peterson," Hyde said. "We've just got to go out and do our job."
As reliant as both offenses may be on their marquee rushers, Kelly cautioned not to overlook the Rams receiving threats Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt. "You still have to defend everything," Kelly added. "But we know we're going to get a steady dose of Todd."
Gurley won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors last year with 1,106 rushing yards, third best in the league. Not bad for someone whose college career at Georgia ended with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Gurley didn't play the first two games while getting his knee primed for an eye-opening season, which included 133 yards _ and a 71-yard touchdown run _ in a Nov. 1 win over the 49ers. He missed the season finale at the 49ers with a turf toe.
A fortified defensive front and healthier NaVorro Bowman won't make things easy for Gurley, who Rams coach Jeff Fisher claimed will be relieved often by Benny Cunningham and Malcolm Brown.
"We drafted Todd Gurley to be our franchise back and be here for a long time," Fisher said on a media conference call. "To make that vision come true, you've got to give him a break every once in a while."
This will be the first time Gurley and Hyde have shared a field. Hyde's fractured left foot shelved him for the season just prior to the Nov. 1 game in St. Louis.
After their contrasting rookie seasons, Gurley and the 49ers' Mike Davis (58 rushing yards as a backup) trained together in the offseason, having formed a friendship during the recruiting process as two of the nation's top high school rushers.
Davis says both Gurley and Hyde are "do-it-all" backs, although he noted their running style is different, as is their body type. Gurley is 6-foot-1, 227 pounds; Hyde 6-foot, 235 pounds.
"I'm quite sure it's fueling Carlos, for them to be talking about Todd more than him," Davis said. "Knowing Carlos, I'm sure he's going to go out there wanting and give it his all."
