San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa is the clear frontrunner for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The defensive end leads the league with 17.5 sacks and is within striking distance of the single-season franchise record of 19.5 set by Aldon Smith in 2012. Bosa has two games remaining to match or surpass that record, which is on his mind as he closes out the regular season.
"I'm kind of eyeing the nineteen-and-a-half more than [the NFL sack record]," Bosa admitted after Saturday's win over the Washington Commanders.
Even if he didn't break any records, Bosa's head coach believes the defensive end has already locked up NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
"I feel like we could sit him these next two weeks, and my mind would be blown if he wasn't the defensive MVP, so he's been great," head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week. "It's been his goal probably since he could remember making goals, and I know that was a big thing to him this year, how excited he was coming into camp healthy for one of the first times and him just saying how much more he wanted to do because he was healthy and he's so smart about that stuff.
"But he was able to get in more practice, build a little bit more stamina for the whole year, and it's showed up on the field because I think he's a lot better now than he was two months ago. And he was better then than he was in the beginning of the year."
Shanahan is correct that being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year would be a significant achievement in Bosa's mind.
"That's a dream," Bosa said of the possibility. "I've played this game since I was seven years old. I've played D-line the entire way through, and I've watched guys throughout the years and just wanted to be in that position. And I finally feel like I'm kind of living out my dream."
Bosa is in his fourth NFL season and admits that he has improved this year compared to previous ones. The defensive end credits his improved film study, leading to better play recognition.
It's hard to believe there is still room for growth. Bosa is already so good and showed that he could be an absolute game-wrecker with his impressive play against the Commanders. Bosa racked up two sacks, nearly had a third, and killed a two-point conversation attempt by bringing down the quarterback.
"He's still young. He's not perfect," Shanahan admitted. "He's got four personal fouls this year. I told him that's why his Madden awareness rating is a 99, not a hundred, so yeah, he could get better right there, but he's playing the top of his game."
Of course, Shanahan pointing out Bosa's faults was said somewhat in jest. The coach has already learned that criticizing his prized pass rusher only makes him better. Before the team's game against the Miami Dolphins, Shanahan tried to evoke a reaction from Bosa by saying the linebackers outperformed the defensive linemen.
"I thought they would smile at it, but he didn't smile at all," Shanahan noted.
What was Bosa's message to his head coach after his last of three sacks against the Dolphins?
"I was like, 'Don't talk s**t about me anymore. Or talk more s**t about me,'" Bosa said.
Bosa is up for a contract extension, and the 49ers know they won't sign him to a bargain deal. The defensive end is setting himself up for a massive payday and proving to be worth every penny.
"Extremely disruptive, because it's every play," Shanahan said this week. "It's not just pass plays. It's not just third down. It's run plays. It's every situation. He's always got a chance to make a play, and he's gotten really good at moving around. And I think he's just as good of a rusher [whichever side he lines up], which makes it really hard for offenses to set a plan when you don't know where he is going to be."