49ers: Top 3 performances from Super Bowl 54

No. 1: EDGE rusher Nick Bosa

The NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year was an absolute monster on Super Bowl Sunday, and had the 49ers pulled off the victory, he certainly would have been in the conversation for MVP of the game.

The 2nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft finished what will hopefully be his first of many Super Bowls with just five tackles and one sack, but this is certainly a situation where the counting stats don’t tell the whole story.

PFF graded him out as the highest of any 49er, granting him an elite 90.1 overall and a 90.6 pass rush grade, one of only two players on either team to earn an elite level grade (the other was Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller, who earned his 93.7 grade on just 30 snaps, whereas Bosa played 59).

Bosa was credited with 12 total pressures, which was more than double the highest from any of his teammates and three times more than the Chiefs leader Terrell Suggs, including 10 hurries, one hit, one pass batted down, and the one sack.

The Chiefs didn’t have an answer for him, and if he had been able to get home once or twice more, there’s a good chance he would have sealed the victory for his team.

But there’s no doubt that Bosa will be the cornerstone of this team moving forward, not just on defense, but as an overall producer and leader for this team. The Super Bowl was just the cap on top of what was an outstanding rookie season where he produced these insane numbers:

If the 49ers are going to continue to contend in the years to come, Bosa will need to maintain his production from his rookie campaign, as well as continue to improve his already incredible repertoire of pass rush skills.

He proved on the biggest of stages what he’s capable of, and it almost helped the Niners win the title. Here’s hoping he can be a part of the team that eventually brings home Lombardi No. 6.