JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nick Bosa grew up in the state of Florida and thrives in the humidity, which was evident in his performance in the 49ers’ 34-3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at EverBank Stadium.
Bosa was on the field just 37 times defensively (65 percent) and collected 1.5 quarterback sacks, two hits, two solo tackles – one for a loss – and a forced fumble, which he recovered on a pass breakup -up could also catch again.
“As soon as I got off the plane I felt the humidity and it was just so, so good,” Bosa said after Sunday’s win. “Really good team win. All in all a complementary ball and a good kind of fresh start for us to move on.”
Bosa didn’t fill the stat sheet in the 49ers’ first eight games of the 2023 NFL season, but coach Kyle Shanahan believes the defensive lineman still made an impact on the field. It was only a matter of time before his star player put up the numbers to back it up.
“I thought he was great,” Shanahan said. “I think Nick has played great all year, but him getting the sack and stuff, causing a turnover – I also know how much he loves playing at Florida, so it was cool to have one today to have a big game for him.” . I thought they all played big.”
Bosa enjoyed his on-field reunion with his Ohio State teammate Chase Young, who is now his 49ers counterpart on the defensive line. The two pass rushers closed off the edges, giving Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead more opportunities to get their hands on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Hargrave recorded 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits on Sunday, while Armstead was credited with 0.5 sacks and one quarterback hit.
“Nothing else,” Armstead said of Bosa’s performance. “Nick just did what he did – we finally had a quarterback who held onto the ball for a while and we were able to show up in the stats today. But Nick played great all year.”
Armstead believes receiving a sizable contract extension puts a player’s performance under scrutiny. Although Bosa’s sack total doesn’t compare to his 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year campaign, he continues to impact the game by putting multiple pressures on opposing quarterbacks.
“Whatever the criticism that comes with receiving a big contract, Nick was dominant in the pass-and-run game,” Armstead said. “He was there all year. It showed up on the stat sheet today, but he’s been doing it all year.”
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast