SANTA CLARA -- The top vote-getter in fan balloting for the Pro Bowl among NFL defensive ends was able to learn a few things this week from the guy who is No. 2 on the list.
Rookie defensive end Nick Bosa and the 49ers face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium. Bosa leads in the fan voting at his position. His older brother, Joey Bosa, is currently No. 2 in fan voting.
"Joey’s play speaks for itself," Nick Bosa said. "I guess people are starting to like us a little bit."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Nick certainly liked what he saw from Joey in Week 9 against the Packers. Joey Bosa had 1.5 sacks while working against Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari in the Los Angeles Chargers’ 26-11 upset victory. Another Bosa will have the same matchup under the lights in Week 12.
[RELATED: Watch 49ers-Packers on "Sunday Night Football" online]
The Bosa brothers communicated throughout the week, with Joey offering Nick some suggestions and insights.
“That was really good film Joey put up,” Nick Bosa said. “We always watch the plays where the tackles we play get beat. Obviously, we watch entire games to see. Joey played really, really good, so (I’ll) definitely take some stuff from him.”
San Francisco 49ers
Bosa was impressed that his older brother used a variety of different pass-rush moves with success against the Packers' offensive tackles. He said he plans to widen his repertoire of moves in future seasons.
“Right now, (I have) only about three-ish that I’m really, really confident in,” said Nick Bosa, who has seven sacks on the season. “I was watching [Joey's] film. He was using five or six. He was winning with all of them. Definitely, over the next few seasons, I’ll add a couple.”
Nick Bosa is attracting more attention as he’s seeing a wide array of double-team blocks, in some cases coming from backs, tight ends and, even, wide receivers. Last week, Arizona veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald leveled him with a surprise block.
“He’s always saying something,” Bosa said of Fitzgerald. “It’s not mean or vicious in any way. It’s kind of friendly, but I feel like it’s to get in your head. But, yeah, after that, he ran up to me and said, ‘Sorry, man, I got to slow you down somehow.’ I was like, ‘S--t, you did.’”
Nick Bosa has not gotten a sack in the past three games, but he is still getting pressure on the quarterback. He leads the 49ers with 49 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Bosa said he believes there will be more one-on-one pass-rush opportunities because the Packers like quarterback Aaron Rodgers to have more options in the passing game.
“They like to get more receivers down field,” Bosa said. “Hopefully, at least in the beginning they’re not (double-teaming) until we start doing something good.”