SANTA CLARA — Nick Bosa had simply sacked Geno Smith with 9:26 to play Sunday within the third quarter and the 49ers main the Seahawks 10-6 when he left the sport with a left indirect damage.
Bosa had a half-sack earlier within the sport and was ubiquitous all through, displaying no results of a proper hip/indirect damage that restricted his apply time all week, and displaying the shape that made him the 2022 NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months.
Because the NFL’s highest-paid defensive participant paced the sidelines the remainder of the best way, the Seahawks ran 30 performs, gained 183 yards, scored two touchdowns and left Levi’s Stadium with a 20-17 win over their NFC West rivals.
As much as the purpose Bosa was injured, Seattle had run 29 performs, gained 106 yards and had area targets of 52 and 57 yards by Jason Myers.
“Brutal, brutal,” Bosa mentioned on the postgame podium. “The most important time in the game for me to be out there I wasn’t able to be. I hate missing time. That’s why I pushed through last week. Hopefully it’s not too long.”
San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa (97) walks off the sphere after being defeated by the Seattle Seahawks throughout their NFL sport at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-17. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group)
Bosa made it wire to wire within the 49ers’ 23-20 win at Tampa Bay, not coming alive till late with a key sack and two large stops on operating performs. He’d been injured through the week of apply main as much as that sport, which led to a particularly restricted week previous Seattle.
Making it damage all of the extra is that Bosa, as an alternative of getting one strained indirect, now has an identical set.
“I guess I was compensating,” Bosa mentioned. “I pushed through last week and it happened to my other oblique. I’ll see what I’m feeling like tomorrow.”
Up subsequent for the 49ers are two troublesome venues in opposition to playoff contenders in chilly climate websites — Inexperienced Bay (7-3) and Buffalo (9-2). Whether or not Bosa can get himself wholesome sufficient to play in both of these video games might be decided by staff docs and his personal ache tolerance.
Bosa confirmed he might tolerate loads final week, however Sunday was totally different.
“That’s why I had to stop playing,” Bosa mentioned.
Earlier than he went out, the 49ers’ move rush was lastly trying as if it might give Bosa some assist. Leonard Floyd completed the sport with 1 1/2 sacks, with one coming after Bosa was injured. Yetur Gross-Matos, signed throughout free company, had a strong debut and likewise had a sack of Smith.
Nick Bosa (97) sacks Geno Smith (7) of Seattle within the third quarter on a play through which he was injured and needed to depart the sport. Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group
However Smith made large performs in Bosa’s absence along with his arm and particularly along with his legs.
With Seattle on the 49ers’ 37 and going through a second-and-13 with 50 seconds remaining after Floyd’s sack, Smith discovered a operating lane and scrambled 16 yards to the 21-yard line. He accomplished an 8-yard move to Jaxon Smith-Njigba earlier than delivering the ultimate crushing blow.
Smith escaped one final time to his left and scrambled in from the 8 for the game-winning rating with 12 seconds to play.
“We were in man coverage so that means it’s going to be hard to get to him if he escapes because everybody’s got their back to him,” linebacker Fred Warner mentioned. “Got to be better.”
The 49ers protection had its moments even with out Bosa, with Dee Winters and Ji’Ayir Brown stopping Zach Charbonnet on a fourth-and-1 with a 17-13 lead and 4:06 to play.
However the 49ers offense couldn’t bleed the clock to place away the win, giving Smith and Co. one ultimate probability to drive 80 yards in 11 performs and win the sport.
Whereas followers in addition to the tv cameras adopted a pensive Bosa intently on the sideline, NFL gamers and coaches aren’t wired that approach. A minimum of not publicly.
“We don’t think about that in the moment,” Shanahan mentioned. “It helps when Nick’s out there, especially with the last drive and stuff. I thought we had a couple of opportunities to get (Smith) and we did get a sack, but those two scrambles on the last drive hurt us.”
San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa (97) grimaces after sacking Seattle Seahawks beginning quarterback Geno Smith (7) within the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
Gross-Matos conceded being with out Bosa put the 49ers at a drawback though one they may have overcome.
“It definitely hurt,” Gross-Matos mentioned. “I wanted a different result for him. Wanted to win it for him and didn’t get the job done.”
Cornerback Isaac Yiadom expressed shock that Bosa wasn’t within the sport.
“I didn’t realize that Bosa left so I can’t really speak on that,” Yiadom mentioned. “No matter who’s out there, we’ve got to finish games.”
Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell chalked it as much as the lifetime of attrition within the NFL.
“We all know what Bosa is — former defensive player of the year,” Campbell mentioned. “Any time you lose a player of that skill set of course it’s going to affect you a little bit, but that ain’t no excuse. We’ve got to finish.”
The loss left the 49ers at 5-5, the identical as Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams. Arizona is a sport up at 6-4 with a bye and performs the Seahawks subsequent week. After dropping already to the Rams and Cardinals, a division title might be a problem. Bosa already gave the impression to be making ready for a 49ers push to sneak into the playoffs reasonably than profitable the No. 1 seed they’ve been for the final two years.
“It’s kind of hard to think about the big picture right now but we have a lot of games left,” Bosa mentioned. “All we’ve got to do is get in the dance and I definitely still have confidence.”
San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa (97) leaves the sphere following their 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
Initially Printed: November 17, 2024 at 6:27 PM PST
