The San Francisco 49ers’ defense, led by potential Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, has been a dominant unit throughout the season. When he has been on the field and healthy, opponents have struggled mightily to find success against them.
The only team that had found a modicum of success against them consistently was the Kansas City Chiefs, who can put up points against anyone. But, you can now add the Las Vegas Raiders to that list, as they gave the 49ers a run for their money this past weekend.
San Francisco trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half as a new-looked Raiders offense was humming. Jarrett Stidham, making his first career start since Derek Carr was benched earlier in the week, was magnificent. He led a 75-yard drive near the end of the fourth quarter to force the game into overtime, which was capped off by a Josh Jacobs one-yard touchdown run.
It was far from Jacobs’ biggest game of the season, as he ran the ball 17 times for 69 yards and the touchdown, adding four receptions for 26 yards, yet he was the one that received the most praise from 49ers’ players. Bosa gave him a major compliment, saying he is the best running back he has faced in his professional career.
“A lot to get better on, but I think we needed this as a defense,” Nick Bosa said, via Tristi Rodriguez of NBCSportsBayArea. “That’s a really good team. Best running back I’ve played against in my career, no doubt about it. That dude’s a beast. And they have a lot of really talented players. . . . The NFL will humble you 100 percent of the time.”
That is certainly some high praise for Jacobs from Bosa. They have faced off against his now-teammate Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and Austin Ekeler, but it is Jacobs who left a lasting impact on Bosa this season.
While all of those players are talented in their own right, Jacobs is having an excellent season. He is leading the NFL with 1,608 yards, which is 160 clear of second place, Nick Chubb. Jacobs is also pacing the league in touches and total yards and it could not have come at a better time.
The first-round pick from the 2019 NFL Draft had his fifth-year option declined during the past offseason, so he is set to become a free agent in 2023. He is certainly going to cash in after having a career year running the football.
