The San Francisco 49ers' defense may not be the machine we hoped for. They were taken to task by Spencer Rattler and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, nearly blowing what should've been an easy win. The secondary was picked apart, and the team as a whole was lucky to get out of there with their second win on the season. Yet, it's becoming clear that Nick Bosa is making a case for Defensive Player of the Year already.
The DPOY is an award that Bosa is already familiar with, having won it before in 2022, and it looks like a healthy Bosa is looking to get his second award already. Bosa was among the few good defensive players on Sunday, right alongside Bryce Huff and Fred Warner. The trio did a lot of good on Sunday, and while each play they made helped secure victory, Bosa is the only 49ers player to have two great weeks back to back.
Nick Bosa Is On Track to Win His Second DPOY Through 2 Weeks
Moreover, he's having timely plays. We already saw him last weekend, ending the Seattle Seahawks' chances on their final offensive play, with Bosa securing the game-ending fumble. This week wasn't too different.
In the second-to-last drive for the Saints, Bosa had a key third-down sack on Spencer Rattler that allowed the 49ers precious opportunities to burn off the clock.
Due to that major stop, the Saints had to blow two of their three timeouts on the subsequent Niners drive. It was a drive that only lasted three plays, but cut the Saints' number of clock-stoppages in half, with New Orleans only having one timeout left and the two-minute warning. Due to the lack of timeouts, the Saints had to take what they could in the final drive instead of taking a risk or two.
A situation that likely sunk the team. Bosa's got the stats so far; he's averaging one sack per week at this pace, but he could easily up that number with a big game. But even still, timely plays matter just as much as stats. If Bosa keeps these clutch performances, it'll be hard to deny him his second DPOY.
When the season started, Nick Bosa was +1600 to win the award, seventh-best odds in the NFL. On FanDuel Sportsbook, he currently has the fourth-best odds at +850, only behind Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett, and Will Anderson. If he keeps this up, however, he could continue shooting up.
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