Chase Young can help the 49ers unleash Nick Bosa when they need him most
Chase Young's impact on the San Francisco 49ers defense was immediately felt on Sunday as he helped them end a three-game losing streak with a dominant 34-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the San Francisco offense was excellent, the tone was set by a defense that had been the subject of significant criticism after […]
Chase Young's impact on the San Francisco 49ers defense was immediately felt on Sunday as he helped them end a three-game losing streak with a dominant 34-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While the San Francisco offense was excellent, the tone was set by a defense that had been the subject of significant criticism after giving up 852 yards in the previous two games.
San Francisco forced Jacksonville into a quick three-and-out on the opening drive. Young entered the game for his debut on the next series and played a huge role in a display in which the 49ers swarmed Trevor Lawrence, sacking him five times and recording 16 pressures of the Jaguars quarterback, per Pro Football Focus.
Young and former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa shared a half sack on a play in the second quarter that saw Bosa strip the ball from Lawrence and recover it for one of four turnovers forced by the 49ers.
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The reunited Buckeye duo each had four pressures, with Bosa's 1.5 sacks taking him to 4.5 in what has been a frustrating season in terms of sack production for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of Young arriving in a trade with the Washington Commanders at the deadline is the opportunity it gives the 49ers to rest Bosa.
With the game getting out of hand in the fourth quarter, allowing the Niners to bench starters, Bosa only played 65 percent of the defensive snaps, the game script and Young's presence helping San Francisco achieve the goal of getting arguably its most important defensive player some much-needed rest.
"That's been our goal here for a number of weeks and we've struggled to do that. I think getting Chase in here made it a lot easier," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Bosa's time off the field in his Monday conference call.
"I think the way the game went made it a lot easier. But that's something that we're trying to. It's hard to take Nick off the field because of how good he is obviously. But, that's something we're always trying to do because we want Nick playing at the same level for all those plays, not just rushing the quarterback but also playing the run, how he chases the ball too on screens and things like that.
"In order to get all our guys to do that, you've got to rotate them. So, I was glad we were able to do that a little bit more."
Potential playoff impact
Being able to spell Bosa more often should allow him to be more effective down a crucial stretch run, and the lessened strain on his body could also be key come the postseason.
Last campaign, Bosa did not have a single sack in any of the three playoff games the 49ers contested. That dry run followed a regular season in which he played 16 of the 17 games and played under 70 percent of the snaps only three times.
Following the win over Jacksonville, there have already been three games this season in which Bosa has played under 70 percent of the snaps.
Correlation is not causation, but that extra rest may well prove crucial in ensuring Bosa is fresh to make a more concerted influence in this campaign's postseason.
The 49ers obviously want to harness the impact of having both Bosa and Young on the defensive line together as much as possible. Yet the snaps where the latter's presence allows the defense to succeed while Bosa is on the sideline could end up being just as significant to San Francisco's hopes of finally getting over the Super Bowl hump in the playoffs this season.
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