49ers DE Nick Bosa is frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has compiled a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season, racking up 15.5 sacks alongside 16 tackles for loss, while spearheading the league's best defense.

The betting books seem to believe so as well. Bosa recently eclipsed Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys with DraftKings placing the odds at -125, while FanDuel currently has the star edge rusher at -130.

With Bosa gaining serious traction, let's delve into his case for Defensive Player of the Year and why his season truly is a special one for the 49ers.

Pre-injury Bosa

Nick Bosa began the season on a tear, recording 30 pressures in his first four games, which included five sacks and a 27.1% pass-rush win rate, according to PFF.

That included three games with six or more pressures, including a 14-pressure performance in a Week 4 victory over the Los Angeles Rams to help the 49ers remain at .500 on the season.

The fourth-year edge rusher wasn't a one-trick pony, however, as Bosa continued playing at a high level when defending the run, recording six run stops over the stretch.

After a strong 15.5-sack season in 2021, including a league-high 21 tackles for loss, it was unclear how Bosa would perform another year removed from his ACL recovery. Still, the Ohio State product continues proving everyone right by playing at an even higher level this season.

Bosa injury

However, Bosa faced adversity early in the season, suffering a groin injury during San Francisco's Week 5 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, which limited his snaps to well below 50% on the day, and also caused him to miss the following game.

In fact, the game against the Panthers was one of just two games so far this season in which Bosa doesn't have a sack when he has been active.

Without Bosa, the 49ers were clearly limited defensively in their next game, as the 49ers gave up 168 yards on the ground on 40 attempts to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, while generating just five pressures on the day, which was, by far, their fewest output of the year.

Granted, Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota had only 16 dropbacks, but it was clear which team won at the line of scrimmage between the two sides, and it wasn't the 49ers.

Then, with Bosa returning in Week 7, although not seemingly at 100%, the 49ers gave up 44 points to the Kansas City Chiefs, struggling both against the pass and the run, which led to a blowout loss and a must-win game to save their season with the division-rival Los Angeles Rams up next.

Post-injury Bosa

With the Rams implementing a quick-game script in Week 8 against the 49ers, there were fewer pressure opportunities overall for the defensive line.

Regardless, Bosa had his way, finishing with 1.5 sacks, while setting the edge well to stop the run, which had been an issue during his absence.

Following the bye week, the 25-year-old pass-rusher continued his early-season tear, beginning with a nine-pressure, one-sack game against young star Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, which was vital in securing the 49ers fifth win of the season, as well as a winning record for the first time in weeks.

Through weeks 10-13, Bosa accumulated at least five pressures per game, while sacking the quarterback in each appearance.

San Francisco's top defensive player came to play in potentially the team's biggest test: the surging Miami Dolphins, who were visiting Levi's Stadium on a 5-game win streak.

Against Tua Tagovailoa, Bosa racked up seven pressures and three sacks, as well as two tackles for loss, which accumulated for most of San Francisco's production from their pass-rushers.

Fast-forward to San Francisco's next most-important game: Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Once again, under the bright lights, Bosa came through, recording six pressures and a sack, while leading the charge along the defensive line, consistently getting to quarterback Geno Smith en route to a 21-13 victory and the division title for the 49ers.

Bosa's case for DPOY

Bosa's case for winning the Defensive Player of the Year award is clear: he's one of the best, if not the best, pass-rusher in the NFL in 2022, while also providing exceptional support as a run-defender, which cannot be said about many prolific pass-rushers.

At the moment, Bosa leads the NFL with 15.5 sacks, despite missing 1.5 games, and has generated 70 pressures and 16 tackles for loss, setting himself up for his second-straight Pro Bowl.

Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who has set himself up for potential head coaching opportunities in the offseason, is a firm believer that Bosa should win the award.

"You talk about a Defensive Player of the Year candidate—if it isn't [Nick] Bosa, I don't know who else it should be. He's put our defense in the position we're in. We're not where we are if not for Bosa, with how he changes the game, how he affects the quarterback, how he speeds up the quarterback's timing, and he's still able to get as many sacks as he has."

Well, the oddsmakers have caught up with Ryans' sentiment, as Bosa is now the favorite to win the award with three games remaining in the season.

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