San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is one of four remaining starters from the defensive unit that faced Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV four years ago in Miami.
Bosa and company were able to sack Mahomes four times, yet the Chiefs’ quarterback was still able to emerge victorious, 31-20, and earn Super Bowl MVP honors for the first time.
Bosa, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, will be back for another try at Mahomes and the Chiefs on Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII. Lining up mostly on the defensive left side, Bosa will likely more of Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor, than he will left tackle Donovan Smith.
Either way, Bosa was asked for his assessment of the Chiefs’ tackles ahead of Sunday’s game. His comment: “They hold a lot.”
Bosa’s four-word comment was all truth. According to NFLpenalties.com, no NFL player has been penalized more in the 2023-24 season than Jawaan Taylor, who was flagged 20 times — eight times for offensive holding. Smith has been flagged five times, four for holding.
As for the matchup, Taylor will have his hands full, as did the Chiefs’ tackles — Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz — four years ago, when Bosa dominated up front with one sack, one forced fumble, one pass defended, and five hits on Mahomes.
Who is Jawaan Taylor?
Taylor, now in his fifth NFL season, signed a four-year, $80 million contract with Kansas City in the offseason after four seasons in Jacksonville, where he started every game.
The former second-round draft pick out of Florida, Taylor grades better as a pass blocker than he does as run blocker. According to ESPN, Taylor is 15th among offensive tackles with 91 percent success rate.
The Pro Football Focus numbers aren’t as kind to Taylor. PFF’s grades rank him 73rd overall out of 81 offensive tackles — 46th as a pass blocker vs. 77th as a run blocker.
He and Smith, who ranks 53rd as a pass blocker, are the weakest links on a Chiefs’ offensive line that ranks No. 1 in pass rush win rate at 77 percent. That’s because Kansas City is much stronger on the inside with two Pro Bowl performers, left guard Joe Thuney and center Creed Humphrey.
Despite the weakness at tackle, Mahomes was sacked only 27 times during the regular season, the second-least among quarterbacks with at least 13 starts.
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Who is Nick Bosa?
Nick Bosa, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, finished the regular season with 10.5 sacks, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2019, when he was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.
According to PFF, however, Bosa received the highest overall grade of his career (92.5), ranking him second to only Myles Garrett among edge defenders. He was also rated as the third-best pass rusher, behind Garrett and Micah Parsons.
He also finished tied for first in QB knockdowns (21) with Aidan Hutchinson, second in QB hits (35) and fifth in pressures (44). In the 49ers’ two playoff games, Nick Bosa has two sacks — both coming against Detroit’s Jared Goff in the NFC Championship Game — seven QB hits, six hurries and five tackles.
Bosa has a relentless motor and is powerful as he explodes upfield, something former Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth knows all too well.
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Who wins this matchup, Nick Bosa or Jawaan Taylor?
This one is almost too easy to call. Clearly, Bosa has the edge, but that doesn’t guarantee the San Francisco 49ers are on their way to a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs for one simple reason: Patrick Mahomes.
Bosa could end up in the Chiefs’ backfield all night and force Mahomes to move out of the pocket. He could force Taylor to hold him over and over again and get nailed for it, derailing the Chiefs’ offensive drives with momentum-killing penalties.
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The problem for Bosa, and for the 49ers’ defense as a whole, is that Mahomes has mastered the art of the great escape. At one moment he looks stuck with nowhere to go but down on the ground, but then he breaks free.
Mahomes is able to avoid the rush, extend plays with his legs, and either scrambles for yards or hits an open receiver downfield, as he did on this 44-yard connection to Tyreek Hill, the play that started the Chiefs’ fourth-quarter comeback in Super Bowl LIV.
Nick Bosa should have a big game on Sunday against Jawaan Taylor. He’ll win the matchup, but winning a Super Bowl LVIII war against Patrick Mahomes will require reinforcements along the way.
EDGE: Nick Bosa