Nick Bosa’s outstanding fourth season appears primed to culminate in a Defensive Player of the Year award. He could also bag a 49ers franchise record in the process.
With 17.5 sacks, Bosa leads the NFL and finds himself just 2.0 behind Aldon Smith’s franchise record of 19.5 sacks, which was set in the 2012 season.
If Bosa’s season so far is any indication, he’ll get there and possibly beyond with two games to go. He’s posted at least 1.0 sacks in 12 of the 14 games he’s played, and one of the games he didn’t was Week 5 in Carolina when he left halfway through the game with a groin issue. Bosa had 2.0 or more sacks in four of those contests. There’s a real chance he at least ties the record against the Raiders on Sunday, giving him a full game to try and set the record against the Cardinals in Week 18.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Bosa’s chase for the 49ers’ single-season record is that he won’t necessarily benefit from the 17-game schedule. He was out for San Francisco’s Week 6 game in Atlanta, putting him on track to play 16 games – the same number Smith played when he set the record in 2012.
As for the NFL record — that’s a little further off. Bosa would need 5.5 sacks in two games to break the record of 22.5 set by Michael Strahan in XXXX, and tied by Steelers DE TJ Watt last season. Getting there is not out of the realm of possibilities for the superstar DE, but he’ll start by chasing down Smith for the 49ers’ franchise record before setting his sights on something higher.
