San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan believes superstar EDGE rusher Nick Bosa is the NFL MVP on defense, despite two games remaining on the 2022 NFL schedule.
The 49ers have had a very unusual season on the offensive side of the ball. They started the year expecting to endure the ups and downs of having a young quarterback in Trey Lance leading the offense. However, his season was cut short after a few weeks due to a broken fibula.
Lance’s replacement and the team’s starter the last few seasons, Jimmy Garoppolo, was solid in relief but was also sidelined for the regular season with a Lisfranc injury a few weeks back. But despite those setbacks, the team has gotten outstanding play from third-string QB Brock Purdy and star trade acquisition, Christian McCaffrey.
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While the team’s play on offense has been erratic at times due to key injuries, the San Francisco 49ers are Super Bowl contenders in 2022 because of the elite play of their defense. And three-time Pro Bowler Nick Bosa has played a massive role in their dominance.
Bosa’s play has been so good that his head coach thinks he already has the NFL defensive player of the year award in the bag with two games still left.
San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa already has a career-high 17.5 sacks
Heading into Week 17, the San Francisco 49ers’ defense leads the NFL in total yards given up, they have the best rushing defense in the league, and have given up the fewest points on average this season. Nick Bosa has been the spark plug for a defensive unit that is one of the best in team history.
- Nick Bosa stats (2022): 48 tackles, 17.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 42 QB hits
The four-year veteran earned Pro Bowl honors for the third time in 2022, and his 17.5 sacks are already a career-best with two games left on the schedule. While the next two weeks could decide which player receives NFL defensive player of the year honors, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan thinks Nick Bosa could actually miss the final two games of the season and still be the easy choice for the award.
“I feel like we could sit him these next two weeks and my mind would be blown if he wasn’t the defensive MVP. He’s been great.”
– Kyle Shanahan
Bosa missed practice on Wednesday due to an illness.
He has surpassed his previous career high in QB hits this season (42) and he is only five tackles and four tackles for loss away from setting new career bests in those categories as well.