Bosa, who was dealing with an ankle injury and missed the entire preseason, made his NFL debut on Sunday. And he did not disappoint.
The line total is already pretty good. Bosa managed three tackles, three quarterback hits and his first career sack, bringing down Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston at the 8:49 mark of the third quarter:
The 49ers' other top offseason addition, EDGE Dee Ford, created the pressure allowing Bosa to get home. Both players pressured Winston regularly throughout the day, ultimately influencing him tossing three interceptions on the afternoon.
Considering San Francisco recorded just two picks all of last year, the idea of reinforcing the pass rush to take pressure off the secondary seemed to work well enough in Week 1.
Even if Winston made Bosa look bad on one play earlier in the game:
"From what I saw, it looked good," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Bosa and Ford's efforts. "I know they weren't out there all the time, but I saw them make a few plays. Every time I looked up, when Bosa was in, he got back there. Missed Jameis on a couple that I saw, but Jameis is pretty good at that, too. He's done that to a lot of good players.
"But I was really happy how they got in the backfield. Not just them two, but the whole D-line."
Bosa primarily entered the game in clear passing situations, and there were certainly more in the second half after San Francisco took the lead. Notably, his inside rushes were effective, forcing Winston to evade to his right or left.
More importantly, Bosa showed no signs of his ankle injury hindering him on the field.
Written By:
Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
All articles by Peter Panacy
Peter Panacy
Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
All articles by Peter Panacy
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers select Trent Williams 'heir apparent' in Mel Kiper's debut NFL mock draft
Longtime ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. released his debut mock draft, and he has the San Francisco 49ers following a familiar path. With the No. 27 overall pick, Kiper projects head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to select Utah offensive tackle Caleb... -
49ers injury updates: Nick Bosa's timeline, Alfred Collins surgery, George Kittle optimism
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch met with reporters on Wednesday, during the team's annual end-of-season press conference. It was the first opportunity for the 49ers to share injury updates following last weekend's playoff loss to the... -
49ers players react as Fred Warner returns to practice during playoff push
The San Francisco 49ers opened Fred Warner's practice window on Tuesday, a key step toward a potential return by the All-Pro linebacker in the NFC Championship Game. Still, the team isn't looking past the immediate task at hand: a Divisional Round playoff matchup against the... -
Why the 49ers are the NFL's gutsiest team after statement win vs. Eagles
A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Niners are the grittiest team in the NFL. That could not have been truer on Sunday night. Down their number one, number two, number three, and number four linebackers? Who cares? The number seven linebacker, Garret Wallow, had eleven tackles...