SANTA CLARA -- After taking Arizona Cardinals quarterback David Blough to the turf in the second quarter of Sunday’s regular-season finale at Levi’s Stadium, 49ers star Nick Bosa was one sack shy of tying Aldon Smith’s franchise record for the most sacks in a single campaign.
But Bosa was pulled before the game’s end and didn't return, finishing the 2022 NFL season with a league-leading 18.5 sacks.
And that’s perfectly fine with the 49ers defensive end, who said that was the plan all along.
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“I talked to [coach Kyle Shanahan] early in the week, and my main goal was to lead the league,” Bosa said after San Francisco’s 38-13 win. “And we’ve got a lot more important things to do, so I’m just happy I got that.”
By more important things to do, Bosa meant the NFC playoffs, of course, where the 49ers are headed after finishing out the season with a 10-game winning streak. They’ll do so with a fully healthy Bosa, whose postseason status wasn’t worth risking late in Sunday’s blowout win.
Following the 49ers’ Week 16 win over the Washington Commanders, Bosa had 17.5 sacks and felt confident Smith’s record of 19.5 was reachable. He had two games to do it, but came up empty-handed against the Las Vegas Raiders and tallied one against the Cardinals.
At one point late in Sunday’s game, Bosa was on the sideline with his helmet on. It wasn’t so that he could re-enter and attempt to break Smith’s franchise record, though -- he was ready to defend his league lead in sacks, should the need arise.
“We were actually monitoring the Eagles’ Haason Reddick, and he didn’t have any [sacks] yet,” Bosa said. “So I was like, ‘All right.’ ”
San Francisco 49ers
So, was Bosa keeping an eye on Sunday’s Philadelphia Eagles-New York Giants game himself? Apparently not.
“We got guys,” Bosa said.
Reddick finished 1.5 sacks behind Bosa with 16.0, and the NFC’s No. 1-seeded Eagles couldn't surpass the 49ers’ defense for the league’s best opponent yards per game mark Sunday -- something San Francisco’s unit had its sights set on since Day 1 of training camp, Bosa said.
The Eagles’ allowed 301.5 yards per game this season, while the 49ers surrendered 300.6 per contest.
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But as he mentioned, Bosa and Co. have plenty more important things to worry about in the coming weeks, like allowing the fewest opponent yards per game in the postseason.
And hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy come February certainly would feel better than any record or mark set during the regular season -- though Bosa claiming the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award wouldn’t hurt.