Getty Nick Bosa wraps up Brian Robinson on December 24, 2022 in Santa Clara.
There are those like Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys who believe it should be Michah Parsons over Nick Bosa for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
But there is one analyst and Ex-Pro Bowler who thinks the San Francisco 49ers star is deserving to be in the conversation for something larger: The league’s Most Valuable Player award.
ESPN analyst and 2012 Pro Bowl quarterback Robert Griffin III mentioned two names on Wednesday, December 28 who he believes have earned the right to be in the race for the MVP nod. And one of the names “RG3” mentioned is the league’s sack leader on the Niners.
“The NFL MVP SHOULDN’T just be a QB Award. The discussion revolves around the best QBs on the best teams but when guys are having a SPECIAL YEAR like Justin Jefferson and Nick Bosa they have EANRED THE RIGHT to be in the conversation,” Griffin posted on Twitter.
NFL Network Personality Also Details True Impact of Nick Bosa
Outside of Griffin III, NFL Network analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Brian Baldinger is another who has examined the impact of Bosa, which includes pointing out the details from the 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Christmas Eve that make Bosa an impactful presence.
“People want sacks, people want quarterback hits. But you don’t rush the quarterback unless you stop the run,” Baldinger mentioned before breaking down the technique Bosa used to fight off the much larger 6-foot-3, 302-pound Charles Leno of the Commanders.
As seen in clip from “Baldy,” Bosa doesn’t use his speed to win the battle. He resorts to hand combat by getting his hands under Leno’s elbows before the Commanders’ lineman initiates his contact on the edge rusher. Bosa, at 6-foot-4, 266-pounds, is able to lift Leno’s center of gravity from there to lead to the run stop.
.@49ers @nbsmallerbear gets the attention for the sacks and the splash plays on the #1 defense in the NFL. But when you go deeper you have appreciate the fundamentals and the tools that he is perfecting #BaldysBreakdowns
“I mean, he’s a technician,” Baldinger said at the end of the clip.
But there’s one more from the Washington win “Baldy” saw. Bosa gets around the slide protection from a blocking tight end in this two-point try off of speed to get to quarterback Carson Wentz.
.@49ers @nbsmallerbear doesn’t get credit for a sack on a 2 point try! Why?? It’s a scoring play and he prevented the @Commanders from scoring 2 points and making it a 1 score game…In a league where stats are important; why doesn’t Nick get credit? #BaldysBreakdowns
Nick Bosa Can Break Trend Involving MVP Winners
Is this the year the streak of MVP winners being a quarterback comes to an end?
It’s been 10 years since a non-quarterback won the NFL Most Valuable Player award, with Adrian Peterson laying claim during his near-record-breaking rushing season with the Minnesota Vikings. But for defenders, Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants and Alan Page of the Vikings are the only MVP winners from the defensive side in league history — with the former snatching the nod in 1986.
Currently, quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills are the trending favorites to win the highest individual honor for the league. But Bosa has his reasons for being in the MVP chatter.
Not only does the 17.5 sacks put him in the conversation, but he’s only had two games when he had zero sacks. And he’s spearheading the NFL’s best defense while being an integral reason the 49ers are on a league’s best eight-game winning streak.
The MVP award goes toward the most dominating player from the season. Bosa now has an endorser for the award in the popular media personality and Heisman Trophy winner.