With San Francisco 49ers star EDGE and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa missing practice today and his status up in the air for Week One against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to a contract dispute, it’s worth going back to look at how the 49ers have faired without Bosa.
Bosa tore his ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 season, meaning the 49ers played the rest of that season without him, going 5-9 without their star defender. In 2021, Bosa missed a Week 6 game against Atlanta with a groin injury, one that San Francisco lost 28-14. In total, the 49ers are 5-10 without Bosa, showing just how important he is to their defense, even with a lot of talented pieces around him. All data is via Stathead.
It is worth noting that the 49ers had a terrible bout of injury luck in 2020, losing RB Tevin Coleman, QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RB Raheem Mostert, EDGE Dee Ford, WR Deebo Samuel and CB Richard Sherman for significant amounts of time. So it’s a little tough to just place the 49ers’ struggles solely on the absence of Bosa. But it’s worth noting that the team has struggled without him. With TE George Kittle potentially missing the 49ers-Steelers matchup as well, San Francisco could be facing an uphill battle.
Right now, the Steelers look fully healthy, with no one really at risk of missing their Week One contest. The Steelers are going to need to show that their offense can take a step forward against the 49ers defense, which is still immensely talented even without Bosa. Guys like LB Fred Warner, S Talanoa Hufanga and NT Javon Hargrave are all among the top players at their position, and if Bosa plays that’s another star Pittsburgh will have to gameplan for.
It should be an awesome game and one that will be a great early-season test for the Steelers. It’ll give us a good gauge of where the team is at matching up against one of the better teams in the league. The Steelers have to be ready on both sides of the ball, regardless of who is or isn’t on the field.
