Part of what makes soccer so unique is that it truly is the quintessential team sport. With the exception of the quarterback position, it is extremely rare for a single player to completely change the fortunes of a franchise for the better. How often can you point to the acquisition of a single non-quarterback and identify that as the turning point goal for an entire organization?
For these 49ersthat moment came on April 25, 2019, when they used the number two draft pick to select Nick Bosa from ohio state. At the time, the pick looked like a home run, as Bosa had been a highly touted prospect for years who likely would have been ranked number one overall if the Cardinals had truly taken the best player available approach.
It was the kind of choice that gave hope and optimism to a storied franchise that had been the laughingstock of the previous five years, but no one could have imagined how profound the impact of this selection would be.
Life before Bosa
Let’s look at where the 49ers were leading in the 2019 draft, after their second season under Kyle Shanahan and the current regime. They were 10-22 in those first two years under Shanahan, with a hugely disappointing defense that had issues past the quarterback.
Since Bosa arrived in San Francisco, the 49ers are 39-16 in the 55 games Bosa has started. On the other hand, they are 15-31 under Shanahan in the games they have played without Bosa on the pitch.
Now, there might be some hindsight that no matter how talented Bosa is, he shouldn’t be credited single-handedly for the more than 30% change in winning percentage the 49ers have experienced with him in the fold. .
Let’s look at one area where Bosa had a more direct impact, which resulted in the monumental success the 49ers achieved with him on the field. Here’s how the 49ers defense ranked under Shanahan prior to Bosa’s arrival:
2017
Points Awarded – 25th
Yards allowed – 24th
Bags – 26th
2018
Points Awarded – 28th
Yards allowed – 13th
Bags – 23rd
Now look back to 2019, a year in which Bosa recorded 102 pressures and earned Rookie of the Year honors while being one of the league’s top rushers in his first season.
2019
Points Awarded – 8th
Yards Allowed – 2nd
Bags – 5th
Immediately, Bosa’s presence lifted the defense that had been porous prior to his arrival in a top-10 unit across the board, which played a major role in the 49ers’ spectacular 2019 season that fell just short of a championship.
With much of the same roster in place in 2020, you get a good illustration of Bosa’s importance to a defense that still featured many of the same players who helped them rise to elite status the year before. .
Bosa has missed 14 games this season after tearing his ACL in Week 2, and here’s how the 49ers defense fared in his absence:
2020
Points Awarded – 17th
Yards allowed – 5th
Bags – 22nd
Now look at 2021 and 2022 and how the 49ers defense has fared since Bosa returned from that ACL injury, a period in which he hasn’t missed a single game.
2021
Points Awarded – 9th
Yards Allowed – 3rd
Bags – 5th
2022
Points Awarded – 1st
Yards allowed – 1st
6th grade bags
In the fourth year, Bosa is the favorite for the prestigious Defensive Player of the Year award, primarily due to the distinguished honor of being the best defensive player in the entire NFL.
Going back to Bosa’s freshman season in 2019, only two players in the entire NFL have recorded more sacks than the 50 Bosa has recorded since entering the league. TJ Watt has 57 and Myles Garrett has 52.5 over that span, but Bosa paced both in the pressure he was able to consistently generate.
Here’s how the three rank in the number of pressures they’ve suffered on average per game since the start of the 2019 season:
Bosa – 6.0
Garett – 4.6
Watts – 4.3
When Bosa arrived, the 49ers were still an unknown. A team with a vision of success but no tangible results amid a five-year playoff drought that had won just 31% of its games under the regime that was brought to change everything.
Since that fateful day the 49ers returned the draft card with Bosa’s name on it, they’ve won 70% of the games he’s played and reached at least the conference title game in the two seasons Bosa has remained healthy throughout.
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