The 49ers lost the Super Bowl, yet showed again they’ve landed a super talent in Nick Bosa.
The rookie defensive end, the No. 2 overall pick of last year’s draft, capped off a terrific season with a great Super Bowl. Although the 49ers lost a fourth-quarter lead in falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-20, Bosa was brilliant.
Though Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is hard to corral with his ability to move in the pocket and buy time, the 49ers defensive line provided plenty of pressure, with Bosa leading the way.
Ben Linsey of the analytic website Pro Football Focus reported Mahomes was pressured on 20 of his 49 dropbacks – yet still came through in the clutch with the game on the line. But Bosa did his part.
"Bosa was a big part of that push on Mahomes all game," wrote Linsey. "On initial count, Bosa recorded 12 quarterback pressures, which would be tied for the most by any defender in a single game this season. (Saturday) he deservedly won (NFL) Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, and though the 49ers couldn’t hold on to their lead, Bosa turned in another stellar effort to close out his outstanding rookie campaign.
“It looks like the younger Bosa is on a similar path to older brother Joey Bosa (of the Chargers) towards becoming one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. That’s not a bad place to be at all."
And, a great sign for the 49ers going toward 2021.
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Though the Niners obviously are crushed after coming so close to winning their sixth Super Bowl, Bosa is a big part of the strong foundation the franchise has for building and staying in the Super Bowl hunt for the future.
Analyst Brian Baldinger of the NFL Network broke down the film of Bosa’s performance in the game and wrote that Bosa “wreaked havoc early and often” to have a "heck of a first Super Bowl game."
Bosa finished with a sack, a batted pass, a forced fumble, five tackles and a quarterback hit. For the regular season and postseason combined, Bosa had 13 sacks and 30 quarterback hits.
Wrote Baldinger: "The craziest part about watching this (film) is Bosa is nowhere near his ceiling. He’s going to get a lot better. There are plenty of examples in the Super Bowl and throughout the season where Bosa’s aggressiveness is used against him. He’ll get better at staying home and in his gap, and also bringing the quarterback down. There’s a high probability of this being Nick Bosa’s worst season if he stays healthy. That’s nuts."
