Nick Bosa took a scary hit when he collided with one of his teammates against the Dallas Cowboys last weekend. He has been in the NFL’s concussion protocol this week as a result. Is Bosa playing against the Green Bay Packers tonight? What impact could he have in the Divisional Round?
Is Nick Bosa playing tonight vs. the Packers?
Bosa seemed to have avoided a serious injury following the collision but has been questionable to play against the Packers this week. As the week has progressed, things have looked promising, and the 49ers officially declared Bosa ready to go on Friday. He’s cleared the concussion protocol and will play against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
Bosa will face a challenge against one of the best offensive tackles in football in David Bakhtiari. The Packers left tackle has been out all season after suffering a torn ACL in December 2020. He made his season debut in Week 18 against the Lions. Bakhtiari has been Rodgers’ blindside protector since 2013 and has been selected to the Pro Bowl on three occasions.
Bosa’s 2021 production
San Francisco certainly missed Bosa in 2020. The second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft was electric as a rookie, but he went down in Week 2 of his sophomore season and missed the rest of the year with a torn ACL.
In his third year in the league, Bosa has reverted straight back to his rookie season form. He ended the regular season with 75 QB pressures and 16 sacks. He threw in 4 forced fumbles for good measure.
Bosa tied for fourth in sacks this year with Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson. He’s also tied for fifth in QB pressures alongside Hendrickson and Shaq Barrett of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
How will Bosa affect the Divisional Round?
The 49ers go into tonight’s game as the underdog, but having a talent like Bosa on the field gives you a shot at a critical turnover at any moment. Guys like T.J. Watt, the Bosa brothers, and Myles Garrett all have the ability to rewrite the script of a game at any time.
Bosa forced a fumble from Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIV. He rushed inside and swiped the ball out of the Chiefs QB’s hands. Mahomes recovered the ball on that occasion, but a play like that can change everything. The 49ers led the game 13-10 at the time, and the play would have given them the ball back in Chiefs territory.
Can Bosa force one from Rodgers tonight? Rodgers has only fumbled the ball 3 times all season, so Bosa will have his work cut out. I think Niners fans will take a sack or two, though. Expect to see Bosa double-teamed by the Packers all evening.