San Francisco 49ers Need Bounce-Back Nick Bosa Display In Divisional Round

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs last season in part because of their strength in the trenches, and they appear to once again have a significant edge in that area as they look to repeat the feat in the Divisional Round this Sunday.

In the playoffs at the end of the 2021 season, San Francisco’s defensive line dictated its matchup with the Cowboys in the Niners’ 23-17 Wild Card round win on the road. San Francisco claimed that victory in a game that saw Nick Bosa suffer an injury. This time, with the stakes even higher, they will have Bosa available to face a vulnerable offensive line dealing with injuries on its left side.

Dallas ruled out veteran left tackle Jason Peters for the Divisional Round game at Levi’s Stadium, meaning the Cowboys will be forced to shuffle their deck. Versatile rookie Tyler Smith is set to move from tackle to guard, with Connor McGovern filling his spot on the inside.

Smith has enjoyed an impressive rookie year, however, going up against Bosa would represent the sternest test of his embryonic career, especially with the Defensive Player of the Year surely eyeing a bounce-back game after being kept relatively quiet in San Francisco’s Wild Card round blowout of the Seattle Seahawks.

Bosa did not have a pressure against the Seahawks, according to Pro Football Focus (h/t Akash Anavarathan of Niners Nation), but his blank in that regard was negated by the efforts of his team-mates on San Francisco’s deep defensive front, most notably Charles Omenihu, who registered two sacks including one that resulted in a Geno Smith fumble recovered by Bosa to end what would have been a Seattle scoring drive and preserve what was then a one-score lead for the Niners.

Omenihu, who has demonstrated impressive development as a pass rusher in his first full season with the Niners, will undoubtedly have a substantial role to play in providing pass rush from the edge and the interior against the Cowboys.

Defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw will be tasked with clogging run lanes as well as producing interior penetration while Samson Ebukam and Jordan Willis could also have a big influence rushing off the edge.

But in a game where one of the subplots will be the comparative impacts of Bosa and the previous frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year, Micah Parsons, the onus will primarily be on the 2019 second overall pick to take advantage of a very favorable matchup, even with Smith’s performances this season often belying his inexperience at the highest level.

The 49ers will line Bosa up on both edges but with Tyron Smith starting at right tackle, it is likely San Francisco will line him up against Tyler Smith more often and ensure he proves a weak link for Dallas.

Bosa has been the best defensive player in the NFL this season, but the playoffs are all about a team’s elite talent delivering in the biggest moments.

The 49ers did not need Bosa to be at his dominant best last week, however, if he can dictate his matchup with Tyler Smith and consistently get Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott off his spot and out of the rhythm he was in during Dallas’ Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then the 49ers will be in an excellent position to progress to a third NFC Championship Game in four seasons.

Rushing with integrity will be important for Bosa and Co. to avoid leaving gaping rush lanes for Prescott to exploit but, as long as he and the 49ers’ front consistently win its rushes against an injury-hindered O-Line, San Francisco will have a recipe for once again defeating Dallas and taking another step towards the Super Bowl.