The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 17-11 Sunday in a primarily defensive showdown, and star pass rusher Nick Bosa was one of the many who asserted their dominance in this game.
Bosa, who had a sack last week against the Lions, worked against left tackle Jordan Mailata for the majority of the game and accumulated two sacks along with a tackle for loss Sunday.
When asked about his health and response to the speed of the game, Bosa was content with his status and game plan, and will look to improve as the season progresses.
"Definitely better. I thought I rushed better," Bosa said. "I think every week I'll get better. Just getting used to the flow of the game and setting things up and being smart with my rushes, and not showing everything too early. Yeah, I'm definitely happier with that day of rushing."
In addition, Bosa enjoyed the playing field, which was grass Sunday rather than Ford Field's turf, where multiple 49ers were injured last week, including Jason Verrett and Raheem Mostert, who were lost for the entire season.
"I definitely feel good. I think I'm moving well," Bosa shared. "Any game on grass is better -- it feels better for everybody. Yeah, I feel good."
With the power and quickness that Bosa rushes with, he's often held, which was famously seen during the 2019 Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. While the 23-year-old noted the amount it happens, Bosa kept his focus towards rushing the quarterback rather than looking for the penalty.
"I mean, it definitely happens pretty often, but I'm just so focused on getting to the quarterback [that] I just think I'm getting blocked when I'm getting held," Bosa explained. "So, I'm just trying to get to the quarterback and that's my main focus. I can't even tell, unless it's like a blatant situation where they're pulling on me when I've won the rush already, but yeah, I'm just focused. I rarely sell anything to the refs because I'm not thinking about it."
Bosa also shared an interesting take on the amount of chips a defensive lineman takes during a game and questioned why those hits wouldn't serve as a penalty as well.
"Yeah, a lot of chips," he said. "I just don't understand how a defensive lineman can get blindsided in a rush, and that's a penalty in any other situation on the field, but yeah, just got to be more aware."
The 49ers travel home to face the Green Bay Packers next Sunday on Sunday Night Football, where Bosa will look to assert his pass-rushing skills against Aaron Rodgers, one of the smarter quarterback minds in the league.
- Rohan Chakravarthi
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Written by:Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
