The Pittsburgh Steelers were in the mindset all along that San Francisco 49ers star EDGE Nick Bosa was going to be on the opposite sideline when the ball was kicked off this coming Sunday in Pittsburgh. Head coach Mike Tomlin said in his weekly press conference that the team wanted to be prepared if Bosa did get back in time to face the Steelers, while OT Dan Moore Jr. mentioned that the whole team expected Bosa to be in Acrisure Stadium by the time Sunday came around.
Yesterday, Bosa confirmed that the Steelers would see him on the opposite sideline this weekend, agreeing to terms with San Francisco on a record-setting contract extension that reportedly makes him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
This is a move the Steelers expected to happen, albeit one many were likely hoping would not materialize in the final days. Still, when the 49ers come into Acrisure Stadium Sunday afternoon, they will have their star pass rusher with them, and LT Dan Moore Jr. better be prepared for a long day at the office.
The National Football league has many talented edge rushers, but few are as talented as Nick Bosa. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year can be a one-man wrecking crew, having posted 51 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, a league-leading 18.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles last season. He can play on either side of the line of scrimmage, showing a great blend of speed and power as a rusher who can win around the corner or go right into the offensive tackle and bully him into the lap of the quarterback.
The 49ers would have had a stout defensive line without Bosa in the lineup, including edge rushers No. 95 Drake Jackson, No. 94 Clelin Ferrell, and No. 92 Kerry Hyder Jr. However, none of them are close to the level of player that Bosa is. The three-time Pro Bowler will present a big challenge for Moore as well as RT Chukwuma Okorafor for the snaps that Bosa lines up on his side.
Moore is used to going against some of the top edge rushers in the league, having been Pittsburgh’s starting left tackle the last two seasons. He’s faced DE Myles Garrett several times now, having compared his game and skill set to Bosa as the team preps for San Francisco this weekend. Moore has shown steady improvement since getting thrown into the fire as a rookie, winning the starting left tackle job convincingly over rookie first-round pick Broderick Jones.
Moore has said he and the rest of the team have been preparing for Bosa. Well, that preparation looks to have paid off as Pittsburgh will face Bosa to some capacity come Sunday. It remains to be seen how many snaps Bosa will play against Pittsburgh after holding out of training camp and the preseason, but one would figure he’d likely see a good amount of action assuming he stayed in shape while he was away from the team. Moore may have won the starting job this summer, but now he faces his first big test of the 2023 campaign.
