By his sack stats, Nick Bosa is not to be judged.
In the 2023 season, the 49ers have struggled to get the quarterback on the ground. Obviously, with their pass rush faltering, all eyes are on the recently hired Defensive Player of the Year winner. Nick Bosa has received a lot of criticism, but teammate Arik Armstead clarified that Bosa’s impact in games isn’t measured by his sack totals.
Bosa led the NFL in sacks last season with 18.5. He has only recorded 2.5 points through eight games this season, while the 49ers as a team are ranked 18th in that category. While it becomes logical to expect more from Bosa in terms of getting the quarterback on the ground, Armstead thinks the defensive end is still significantly impacting the opposition signal callers.
In a “3rd and Long” episode, Armstead stated, “Bosa affects the quarterback at the highest rate of any player I’ve ever been around.””I’ve been a part of it all, trying to find out ways to free him up throughout the game, as guys try to block him, actually double team him, chip him. And I’m hurrying alongside him. Thus, despite all of these defences that we have to put in place, he is still the best pass rusher I have ever played with.
Bosa continues to dominate this game at a high level regardless of the sack totals because “week in and week out, whether he gets a sack or not, he’s affecting the quarterback at a high level and a high rate—getting him off his spot, forcing them to leave extra blockers in protection to deal with him.” He is still the best player I have ever seen, and he continues to perform at an exceptionally high level.
This is also more than anecdotal. According to Pro Football Focus, Bosa leads the NFL in quarterback hits and is tied for third in pressures despite his low number of sacks. He is also included on the football analytics website with four sacks.
What has changed from the previous season, when Bosa was compiling sacks in large quantities? The other DE spot’s lack of output is a crucial factor.
Bosa has 44 pressures, which leads the 49ers. The next three greatest totals on San Francisco are defensive tackles Javon Kinlaw (15), Armstead (20), and Hargrave (26). Drake Jackson and Clelin Ferrell, both defensive end players, are tied at fourteen; Jackson’s came in more than half of the first two weeks. Randy Gregory (six pressures in three games) has taken up his workload, and he has zero in the previous two games.
Teams don’t have to commit resources to the opposing side, which allows them to execute the kind of blocking on Bosa that Armstead described. That’s where Chase Young, who was recently acquired, should be useful. According to PFF, in seven games with the Commanders, he recorded 38 pressures and six sacks. As opponents start allocating more players to the other side of the defensive line, it should help Bosa’s sack totals.
In the end, a defensive line where Bosa’s sack totals are higher than they’ve been but his low totals aren’t the result of a sharp decline in playmaking ability will be the most effective.
