The San Francisco 49ers are one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl championship this coming season, and perhaps the biggest reason why is their defense.
They were the NFL’s best defensive team in 2022, and they were led by star defensive end Nick Bosa on that side of the football.
He led the league with 18.5 sacks, and he has become a boogeyman as far as opposing quarterbacks are concerned.
Bosa has a good chance of leading the NFL in sacks again this coming season, and if he does so, he would become just the fourth player since 1982 to ever do so in consecutive seasons, per SNF on NBC on Twitter.
Will Nick Bosa lead the NFL in sacks again this season? #FTTB pic.twitter.com/tEAZIXC0a7
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) July 5, 2023
The Ohio State University product was the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the 49ers after they dealt with an injury-riddled 2018 campaign.
Bosa made his presence felt immediately by posting 9.0 sacks, 25 quarterback hits, and 16 tackles for loss, earning him Defensive Rookie of the Year and a spot in the Pro Bowl.
The Niners reached the Super Bowl that season, where they blew a late lead and lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bosa rebounded from a torn ACL that limited him to two contests in 2020, and at age 25, most of his best football could still be ahead of him.
In 2023, he will be joined on the defensive line by defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who had double-digit sacks himself last season as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Together, they will make life a nightmare for any quarterback that goes up against San Francisco this fall and winter.
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