Getty Nick Bosa pressures Kyler Murray during the Sunday, October 10, road game in Arizona.
The double-team gauntlet is yet to slow down Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers.
According to an online graphic revealed by ESPN Sports Analytics writer Seth Walder on the morning of Tuesday, October 12, Bosa draws the third-highest double teams through Week 5 — and draws two blockers at the highest rate among NFC West defenders. Yet, Bosa is still winning against four arms trying to latch onto him, as the Walder post shows that Bosa is among the league’s best at winning the double teams.
Double team rate at edge (x) by pass rush win rate at edge (y), through Week 5.
Realized Raiders and WFT were omitted accidentally last week (name change error). Fixed now.
(ESPN / NFL Next Gen Stats)
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Through five games, Bosa has collected 5.0 sacks. Even with the trench version of double coverage placed on him, the third-year defensive end and 23-year-old is on pace to collect 17.0 sacks, which would give him both a career-high and reward him with his first season of surpassing the double-digit sack plateau.
Bosa Is Clearly Used to NFL Double Teams
Facing two linemen is nothing new for the 6-foot-4, 266-pounder out of Ohio State.
Bosa drew more than one defender the moment he arrived to the NFL. Per Pro Football Focus, Bosa tangled with double teams on 130 defensive rush snaps during the 2019 season. But he still rated fourth overall in pass rush winning rate:
This season according to PFF, Bosa has been on the field for 147 pass rush snaps out of the 230 defensive plays he’s seen on the field. The Niners, though, have plugged him on three plays over the tackle, then 224 where he’s outside shade of the tight end or tackle.
Last week against the Arizona Cardinals, Bosa was one of two Niners defenders who accomplished the following against Kyler Murray: Pressure him twice and get a sack of him.
Nick Bosa through week 5:
14 tackles, 5 assists, 5 sacks, 8 TFLs, 10 QB hits, 19 pressures, 1 FF.
Before that, Bosa wrecked three different blocks before getting to Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4. He uses his freakish snap explosion and cuts through inside the shoulder of the left tackle Duane Brown before forcing Wilson to throw the football away.
Nick Bosa absolutely wrecking shop. Gets the QB hit but destroys multiple guys on the way. Absolute beast.
Bosa Has Most Sacks in 2021 Against These Types of QBs
Of the 5.0 sacks Bosa has snatched, he’s gripped and tussled just one who is a natural pocket passer: Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions in Week 1.
That’s right, four of Bosa’s sacks has come against dual-threat QBs.
Bosa got to the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts twice in Week 2. On this play, Bosa is facing two tight ends Dallas Goedert and Jack Stoll. Bosa gets around the former and ends up netting the strip sack of Hurts.
Against Seattle, Bosa beats Brown right away in a span of three seconds off of a straight speed rush that forces the left tackle to turn his hips instead of staying squared in front of Bosa. That sack is seen near the 1:30 mark of this highlight video from the game.
Here’s what a healthy Bosa has additionally managed to do through five games: He and Arizona’s Chandler Jones are the NFC West leaders in sacks. Bosa is healthier now compared to 2020 — and he’s doing damage regardless if two 300-plus pound bodies or a LT/TE combo are locked in on him.