Nick Bosa could only watch from the sidelines as the San Francisco 49ers suffered their third loss of the season when leading in the fourth quarter, again falling to .500. The star pass rusher was unable to impact the game as the 49ers lost 20-17 to their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks, in a frustrating collapse.
"Brutal," Bosa said of being sidelined during the game's most crucial moments. "The most important time in the game for me to be out there, I wasn't able to be. I hate missing time. That's why I pushed through last week, and hopefully, it's not too long (that he's out)."
Bosa was having a standout performance before leaving the game in the third quarter due to an injury initially reported as a hip issue. Many assumed it was related to the hip pointer he fought through last week—an injury Bosa described as one of the toughest he's ever played through. On Sunday, he couldn't manage to play through the latest setback.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan clarified after the game that Bosa's latest injury was not to the same hip. When asked if Bosa might be available next week against the Green Bay Packers, Shanahan replied, "I hope so. I mean, I don't know anything [beyond] what I told you guys. It's hip/oblique, and it's his other hip, and he couldn't return to the game, which means it was bothering him. So we'll see how he is tomorrow. Hopefully, it's not too big of a deal, but that's all we really know right now."
The injury occurred during Bosa's second sack of Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, who later sealed the game with a critical scramble into the end zone in the final seconds.
"I guess I was compensating," Bosa explained. "I pushed through last week, and the same thing happened to my other oblique, so we'll see what I'm feeling like tomorrow."
Shanahan acknowledged that Bosa's absence on the Seahawks' final drive was significant and might have changed the game's outcome.
"Thought we had a couple opportunities to get to him (Smith)," Shanahan said. "I think we did get a sack or two on that last drive, but him getting those two scrambles killed us."
When asked about his level of concern over missing upcoming games, Bosa admitted, "It's definitely there. I don't know. I gotta see."
Other injury updates
Shanahan provided additional injury updates following the game. Linebacker Tatum Bethune, who exited early, may have suffered an MCL injury. Rookie cornerback Renardo Green played through a finger injury.
Wide receiver Jacob Cowing was ruled out with a concussion, while fullback Kyle Juszczyk was also evaluated for a concussion before being cleared to return to action.