‘Frustrated’ Nick Bosa unhappy with not getting any sacks despite Kirk Cousins throwing 45 passes during MNF

Nick Bose merely tallied 2.5 sacks in the last seven games of this season.

‘Frustrated’ Nick Bosa unhappy with not getting any sacks despite Kirk Cousins throwing 45 passes during MNF

Nick Bosa and Kirk Cousins (Via Country Living Magazine/ AP News)

Last night was truly an interesting game as the San Francisco 49ers suffered a 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The whole team of 49ers was absolutely outclassed by the strong offense led by the Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins. It felt like a team collapse in the defense of the 49ers.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had a disastrous game of his career with multiple interceptions. The star-studded team of the 49ers pass-rush failed to sack Vikings quarterback Cousins even once.

In spite of everything happening, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and the backbone of the 49ers’ defense, Nick Bosa was disheartened as he gave himself a harsh critique during a post-game interview.

I’m not sure how it went for the other three guys. I can only focus on myself and there were definitely a couple of opportunities there where I could have changed the game. I need to do that with the kind of player I’m supposed to be.
Nick Bosa via David Lombardi

Bose was disappointed by his team’s lack of pass-rush ingenuity. Counting today, 49ers defensive end Bose is the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, after signing a 5-year contract extension to stay with the Bay Area, worth $170 million in September. With a record of 18.5 sacks last season, Bose has merely tallied 2.5 sacks in the last seven games of this season.

In addition to Bose, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan also expressed his dismay at the team’s defensive line after losing the second game in a row. On the other hand, Cousins finished the game with 378 passing yards for 35 of 45 completed passes, the highest this season, and two touchdowns. He was sacked at least twice in the last six games of the Vikings, but during the face-off against the 49ers, he wasn’t sacked once.

49ers’ offense struggles against Vikings’ explosive defense

Playing quite early in the game, the 49ers fell behind and did not cover throughout the game, leading to a 22-17 loss. Starting with the rushing offense by Christian McCaffrey who made one of the biggest mistakes of the game, by losing his second fumble of the season. This cost the 49ers an opportunity to take an early lead during the game.

Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy (Via Marca)

The team recorded merely 3.0 yards per carry with 22 rushing attempts. Quarterback Purdy had the longest run of 17 yards, but he picked the wrong time for two interceptions. There was slight hope for the 49ers, but in the final 5 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, the team fell apart.

As Purdy missed on a deep ball to Jauan Jennings, Vikings safety Camryn Bynum seized the interception. Then, the last opportunity for the 49ers to strike back was ruined after Bynum intercepted Purdy again. The 49ers failed to make enough pass-rush to make Cousins back down. The Vikings were totally in their explosive mode as they disarmed 49ers’ defense.

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