The 49ers needed someone to step up in Week 14 with Nick Bosa out, and that's precisely what Yetur Gross-Matos did in the win over the Bears.
The San Francisco 49ers bucked a concerning trend by defeating the Chicago Bears 38-13 in Week 14.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad entered the game with a 0-5 record in contests where both left tackle Trent Williams and defensive end Nick Bosa were absent.
After knocking off Chicago on Sunday, that record is 1-5.
Bosa, in particular, missed his third straight game with hip and oblique injuries, putting more pressure on a defense that has struggled in his absence.
Thankfully, reserve defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos answered the call.
Yetur Gross-Matos delivers career-best performance in win over Bears
After a notable two-game slump, Shanahan's offense came to life and received the bulk of credit for the Niners' one-sided victory.
However, San Francisco's defense held interim head coach Thomas Brown's offense in check for nearly all four quarters, holding Chicago to a mere 162 net yards and an average of just 3.1 yards per play.
A lot of the credit should go to Gross-Matos, the under-appreciated offseason free-agent pickup from the Carolina Panthers whom the 49ers hope to develop into a quality pass-rusher.
Gross-Matos took down Bears quarterback Caleb Williams three times in the contest, setting a personal best for sacks in a single game, including this play in the fourth quarter where the edge rusher's brute strength and determination were on full display:
Back 2 Back sacks for @__lobo99!
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 9, 2024
📺 #CHIvsSF on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/y2UJ04Dx7S
The Niners sacked Williams six times in the game, increasing his already NFL-high mark to 56. So, the chances were going to be there for San Francisco's defense.
But it still fell on players like Gross-Matos to take full advantage. And he did.
Gross-Matos, who missed the first half of the season because of a knee injury suffered during the preseason, brought his season tally of sacks to four, which is now just half a sack away from tying a career-high, set back with the Panthers in 2023.
With four games remaining, and Bosa potentially staying out of the lineup for a little while longer, the 2020 second-round NFL Draft pick out of Penn State will have an excellent chance to set a new career-best number.