Nick Bosa played 56 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year did not reach Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett in the game.
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers pass rusher played 79 percent of the defensive snaps, again being held without a sack as Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford quickly got the football out of his hands.
Bosa held out for six weeks as he awaited a contract extension, which didn't come until just days before Week 1. The defensive end missed all of training camp and the preseason. Has the absence contributed to a lack of productivity?
"I've always said, I don't care who you are, you need to get your football legs underneath you," general manager John Lynch said Wednesday during an interview on KNBR's "Murph and Mac" show. "Now, having said that, anyone who says this guy's not beating the guy in front of him—I mean, you put together a highlight tape, some of the quickest wins.
"He was dominant in last week's game without getting a sack. I mean, he was beating the guy in front of him on a regular basis with power, with his inside move. If you talk to Nick, he's coming out of it, and he feels like everything's starting to hit stride. But he's been tremendous.
"So I think only better things ahead, and we're sure glad to have him."
Bosa was Pro Football Focus's highest-graded player from Sunday's 49ers-Rams matchup. He finished the game with five total pressures, three quarterback hits, and two hurries, boasting a team-high win percentage of 31.9.
"I feel good," Bosa told reporters this week. "I think I needed a couple of games to get my body into football shape, for sure. You can't simulate it. I think now that I'm through two and I've had some pretty good output for this one, I think I'm only going to be up from here."
Bosa's new defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks, believes the pass rusher isn't satisfied with where he is right now.
"But as a coach, understanding that he wasn't here all offseason, and to come in and take [35] snaps in the first game, I believe it was, and play last week," Wilks told reporters on Tuesday. "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."
Bosa's head coach noticed an improvement from Week 1 to Week 2 and is excited about his now-highly-paid defender helping the 49ers this season.
"I think he's getting back into football shape, getting back into his groove," Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday. "I thought he got better and stronger throughout the game, similar to last week in that aspect. I thought he finished the game real strong and took a step forward from Pittsburgh."
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