49ers power rankings: Best 10 players with 4 weeks remaining in 2021

49ers power rankings: Player Nos. 5 and 4

It’s hard to keep these two players out of the top three spots. But when you look at who finishes up in those top NFL power rankings by player and the reasons why, it’ll make more sense.

More importantly, the 49ers have been receiving some excellent contributions from these two players, too, helping spark the recent hot streak.

Safety Jimmie Ward might not tally up the lofty interception totals other top-end safeties tend to get, although he did close out his interception-less streak dating back to 2016 by recording two in a single game against the Los Angeles Rams earlier this season.

That’s not all of Ward’s game, though, and his team nickname of “The Eraser” surely holds true, as he’s frequently helped cover up the many deficiencies the team has had elsewhere within the secondary.

As a testament to this, the Niners pass defense still ranks sixth best in the enter NFL after 14 weeks, allowing just 2,772 yards.

And Ward’s 80.2 overall Pro Football Focus game ranks second among all San Francisco defenders.

The only other defensive player with a higher PFF grade than Ward is EDGE Nick Bosa, who surely has to be in the running for the league’s Comeback Player of the Year after tearing his ACL last season.

If not Defensive Player of the Year.

Bosa now has 14 sacks after recording two more against the Bengals in the Week 14 win, and his 18 tackles for a loss also ranks the most out of all NFL players entering Week 15, too.

What’s even more special about Bosa’s efforts this year is the fact San Francisco hasn’t received much in the pass-rush department besides him. Reserve EDGE Arden Key is second on the team in sacks, and he has only four.

In a sense, Bosa is wholly carrying the 49ers pass rush this season, and it’s a pretty safe bet to say they’d have a sub-.500 record in 2021 to date if Bosa was out of the picture.