The San Francisco 49ers improved to 3-0 in the 2025 NFL season with a 16-15 victory against the Arizona Cardinals, playing an excellent defensive game by holding the red birds to 260 total yards of offense.
The Niners didn't leave the game unscathed, though, as defensive end Nick Bosa exited the game late in the first quarter with a leg injury.
An MRI the following day would prove to be a gut-punch, revealing Bosa had torn his ACL and would be out of the remainder of the season.
Losing a player like Bosa, who has been a Pro Bowler, an All-Pro and a Defensive Player of the Year, is a tough reality no matter which way it's spun.
It does, however, vindicate many of the moves San Francisco made in the offseason.
The 49ers spent their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on defensive end Mykel Williams. They also made a move to acquire another edge rusher in Bryce Huff.
Trading for Bryce Huff now looks like a genius 49ers move
The Niners sent a conditional mid-round 2026 pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Huff, who wasn't exactly a good fit in Philly and had a down year in 2024 after joining Philly the previous offseason, only picking up 2.5 sacks and turning into a healthy scratch by the time the Eagles were in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers were hoping to get Huff back to his 2023 productivity when he recorded 10 sacks as a member of the New York Jets under the tutelage of then-head coach Robert Saleh, who certainly had some influence in the Niners pulling off the trade with Philadelphia last summer.
Any chatter about Saleh and the 49ers reaching on an underwhelming pass-rusher from Philly go out the door now.
Huff was primarily brought over to San Francisco to be a rotational piece on the defensive line and primarily come in on passing downs. In the wake of Bosa's injury, though, Huff's role will increase to the point where he'll likely be asked to do more to support the defense.
For reference, in Weeks 1 and 2, Bosa played 88.5 percent and 83.1 percent of defensive snaps, respectively.
Huff, on the other hand, played in 50 percent and 39.4 percent of respective defensive snaps in Weeks 1 and 2.
The 49ers will likely call on Huff in the upcoming weeks to step it up in the absence of Bosa, probably to the tune of being a base-down starter alongside the rookie, Williams.
Fortunately Huff has nearly surpassed his sack total from 2024, currently sitting at two sacks on the season and leading the Niners in that category through three weeks.
He could be in for a big day in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who allowed five quarterback hits and two sacks in Week 3, but the bigger hope is for Huff to make up for Bosa's absence as much as phyically possible.