WHAT A RUSH!
Bosa hopes to torment Mahomes
By PAUL SCHWARTZ
MIAMI — If it happens, it will be a clash of titans, a meeting of the most dynamic offensive player in the NFL and undeniably one of the most lethal defensive players in the league.
Come Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, the goal of 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is to introduce himself as harshly as he can. The desire of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is to avoid this confrontation at all costs. When these young stars enter each other’s orbit, expect some seismic activity to follow.
“I’m confident in our defense, for sure,” Bosa said earlier this week. “Obviously, it will be a new challenge. We have not faced them yet. But we’re up for it and we’re excited for it. He is very tough. There are a couple of wrinkles in there just for him. But we’re taking the same approach. We have to keep him in the pocket. We can’t open up gaps for him and take crazy rushes. We have to rush conservatively and keep him in that pocket.’’ With each word, it sounded as if Bosa desperately wanted to fast-forward to Super Bowl LIV and leave behind the impediments in his way. The rookie sensation is unquestionably a deeds-not-words kind of guy, especially amid the media swirl this week entails.
Each answer from B osa came p o l i te ly but superficially, as if he needed to parse his words or else incur a hefty fine. A one-sentence response was standard. Two sentences qualified as a filibuster.
“I try not to dread it because it is the Super Bowl and I need to enjoy it,’’ Bosa said, “but it’s definitely not my favorite thing to do.’’
Fair enough. The 49ers rather he make his noise on the field anyway.
The No. 2-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft more than lived up to his advance billing. He had nine sacks in the regular season and a team-high 16.5 tackles for loss. In Week 8, he dropped Kyle Allen of the Panthers three times to earn NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors the same day his older brother, Joey, of the Chargers, was named the AFC winner. Nick Bosa heated up in the playoffs, sacking Kirk Cousins twice in the divisional round and Aaron Rodgers once in the NFC Championship.
Bosa is living proof what a legitimate and feared edge rusher can do to complete a defense.
“He’s a monster,’’ Mahomes said. “I get to play his brother two times a year and he’s a monster, as well. They do a lot of the same things as far as the way they’re able to rush the quarterback. A big thing that gets undervalued is the way they’re able to stop the run game. He’s one of those complete defensive ends that can rush the quarterback and stop the run game and be in on every single play.”
Working against Bosa in practice, 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey has a taste of what those trying to keep their quarterback clean must chew on.
“He presents a lot of problems,’’ McGlinchey said. “He’s so multiple in how he rushes. He’s so instinctive and such a good feel for everything. He can hit you in a lot of different ways.’’
The 49ers sometimes forget this is Bosa’s rookie year.
“After the first week of training camp I realized this guy is going to be a pain in my side every training camp hopefully for the next 15 years,’’ McGlinchey said.
Bosa making it to Super Bowl LIV is an honest-to-goodness homecoming. He moved from North Miami to Fort Lauderdale to play at St. Thomas Aquinas, renowned for its football program. He said, “I honestly became a man during my time at St. Thomas,’’ and it catapulted him to Ohio State, following the path of older brother Joey. The father, John Bosa, played for the Dolphins and after he retired would take Nick to games.
“We used to go to Dolphins games together,” Nick Bosa said. “I would tell him I’m going to be out there one day and it happened, so it’s awesome.”
He will be out there for a Super Bowl on the same field he promised to play on one day.
“It’s awesome just to be in my hometown, where I grew up and where all my friends and family live,” Bosa said. “I couldn’t pick a better place to be for my first Super Bowl. It would be a really great end to a great season. I couldn’t have dreamed this, but it’s happening and it’s awesome. It’s unbelievable.’’
Bosa says he loves the humidity and advised his teammates to pack extra shirts “because you’re going to be sweaty.’’
Next, Bosa hopes to turn the heat up on Mahomes.