Ranking 49ers’ Nick Bosa, NFC West’s 4 other top pass-rushers
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers still have one of the NFC West’s best pass-rushers in Nick Bosa, but the Cardinals adding J.J. Watt to the mix shakes the rankings up a bit.
It’s not a good idea to be a quarterback in the NFC West heading into 2021.
In 2019, the San Francisco 49ers boasted one of the most formidable pass-rushing units in the entire NFL with defensive end Arik Armstead leading the team with 10 sacks while EDGEs Nick Bosa and Dee Ford also contributed to the Niners accumulating 48 sacks that year, which was tied for fifth most.
And to think San Francisco relied heavily on just a four-man rush that season.
Granted, Bosa and much of the 49ers defense was beset by injuries last year, but the crop of talented pass-rushers still dot all over the NFC West landscape. Especially following the Arizona Cardinals’ acquisition of former Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, which prompted NFL Network’s Steve Wyche to break down just how dangerous the division is with talented pass-rushers:
With @JJWatt signing with the @AZCardinals the NFC West is loaded with QB tormenting boogeymen. From NFL Now @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/vfYQawTZFs
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) March 2, 2021
Indeed, of the top-20 sack specialists from last year, five of them played within the NFC West in 2020. With Watt now in the fray, along with both Bosa and hopefully Ford returning fully healthy, one can only figure the NFC West will make opposing quarterbacks’ jobs so much more difficult.
Particularly if those opponents don’t have effective offensive lines offering up protection. The Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers taught that lesson to quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last February.
So, who are the division’s top five pass-rushers heading into 2021 with Watt in the fray and a hopefully healthy Bosa back in the mix following his 2020 ACL tear?
Let’s take a look.