The pressure is starting to mount on the $170 million man to get his first sack.
After being named Defensive Player of the Year and racking up an NFL-best 18.5 sacks last year, Nick Bosa is still seeking his first quarterback takedown after two weeks.
Bosa admitted he’s still getting into “football shape” after holding out six weeks of training camp for his record-setting contract extension, but hopes he’ll have an opportunity to take down New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones on Thursday.
Last week, the Niners faced off against Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who gets through his reads and delivered passes before the pass rush could get there. The 49ers only got one sack after taking down Kenny Pickett five times in the season opener, but Bosa thinks the D-Line will turn up the pressure on Jones.
“It’s going to be pretty much the opposite of what we just did with Stafford,” Bosa said. “(Jones) definitely can hold it a little bit and we just have to keep him in the pocket. He’s going to try to get out any chance he gets. So just try to close it on him, be good in our rush lanes, and we could have a good day.”
Including the playoffs, Bosa is in something of a sack drought, as he has just one over his past seven games played.
Even though Bosa doesn’t have the traditional box score stats going his way, he’s one of just three defenders in the NFL with an overall grade of over 90 from Pro Football Focus (92.7 rating) this season, along with Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons (93.6) and Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (93.3).
Bosa’s mere presence has opened doors for his teammates (see: Drake Jackson three-sack game in Pittsburgh) and it’s just a matter of time before we see the DPOY do his patented shrug celebration after a sack.
“Well, I think you’d probably have to ask him, and he'll tell you he's definitely not satisfied with where he is,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said. “But as a coach understanding that he wasn't here all offseason and to come in and take 32 snaps in the first game, I believe it was, and play last week. So, it's going to come. You saw the effort there, you saw the push across the board with those guys. Again, Stafford was getting rid of the ball so fast so I think it's only a time, only a matter of time.”