The San Francisco 49ers suffered a trap-game loss, their first defeat of the season, on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, and a prime reason why was because the Niners pass rush had almost no success getting to quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
In short, injured defensive end Nick Bosa could've made a significant difference in that affair. But his calf injury, suffered early in the season after just two games, has kept him out of the lineup ever since.
That appears to be coming to an end with San Francisco returning from its bye and poised to host the 4-4 Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9.
All signs point to Nick Bosa returning for 49ers vs. Raiders
Bosa was limited during Wednesday's practice, but that's the furthest he's come along since suffering the injury ahead of Week 3.
According to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, the defensive end feels "great" and "ready to go," indicating the 49ers are fully planning to field him when Sunday comes around.
#49ers DE Nick Bosa says he feels “great” and he’s “ready to go.”
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 4, 2026
Will be limited in practice today but sounds like the plan is to be back Sunday against the Raiders.
Of course, Bosa never landed on injured reserve after the banged-up Niners already used most of their IR spots with return designations. But his absence has put immense pressure on reserve pass-rushers, such as Keion White and Romello Height, to make a difference.
Bosa's return, combined with the pre-deadline deal for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, come at precisely the right time.
49ers need their pass rush to be on point vs. Raiders
A Bosa- and Buckner-less defense failed to register a single QB hit on Penix nearly two weeks ago, let alone sacks, and that paralleled San Francisco's collapse in the second half of that particular game.
Yet Atlanta has surrendered 16 sacks on the season, a middle-of-the-pack figure, whereas Vegas is notably better in that department with just 11 allowed. Sure, Las Vegas is pondering its quarterbacking situation between the veteran, Kirk Cousins, and the rookie, Fernando Mendoza.
But, either way, the Raiders have kept their signal-callers upright for much of the year to date.
Buckner's return helps immensely, but the combination of both him and Bosa on the field at the same time should generate some 2019-like vibes, particularly if their presence ups the impact of fellow defensive linemen like Osa Odighizuwa and Gracen Halton. While Vegas' own defense has been abysmal for much of the year, arguably the one way first-year head coach Klint Kubiak can pull off an upset over the 49ers is if Cousins and Co. can maintain some sort of offensive prowess.
Bosa's return, combined with Buckner's re-addition, significantly offset that possibility.
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