Bosa rips his own performance after 49ers fail to sack Vikings QB Cousins originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
In the 49ers’ 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, there were a few striking numbers worth noting.
Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy experienced a challenging debut, throwing multiple interceptions. The 49ers also lost the time-of-possession battle by over 10 minutes. However, the most concerning statistic was the failure of the 49ers’ star-studded pass rush to sack Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins even once.
Nick Bosa, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and the face of the 49ers’ defense, didn’t hold back when assessing his own performance after the game.
“You kind of get lulled to sleep by some of the protections,” Bosa told reporters in Minneapolis. “When those [opportunities] come, you have to be ready for them. I’m not sure how it went for the other three guys; I can only focus on myself. There were definitely a couple of opportunities where I could’ve changed the game.
“I needed to do that with the kind of player I’m supposed to be.”
Bosa made headlines in September as the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback after signing a five-year, $170 million contract extension to stay in the Bay Area.
However, through seven games this season, Bosa has only recorded 2.5 sacks. By comparison, in his first seven games last season, he tallied 8.5 sacks.
Even 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan expressed disappointment in the performance of the defensive line following their second consecutive loss.
“We didn’t have any sacks today,” Shanahan said. “When you go against a quarterback like that, you’ve got to make him uncomfortable. He didn’t seem too uncomfortable.”
Despite throwing an interception on his second pass attempt, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins remained composed throughout the night and finished the game with a season-high 378 passing yards and two touchdowns.
In the previous six games, Cousins had been sacked at least twice. However, he managed to stay upright throughout Monday night’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“We have a lot of really good players on the D-line and obviously a lot invested in it,” Bosa said. “You have to make the plays when they’re there.”
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