SANTA CLARA – The 49ers have monitored the play time of linebacker NaVorro Bowman, but his workload has been on the rise the past three weeks.
Bowman played 71, 73 and 75 snaps of defense the past three weeks in losses to the Arizona, Green Bay and the New York Giants. For the season, Bowman has been on the field for 96.4 percent of the team's 336 defensive plays.
“We talked about it last week, two weeks ago and just in terms of the reps,” 49ers coach Jim Tomsula said. “You know I had seen that in the first couple of games. I think we talked about it in here. Those rep counts were getting a little high. So that is something we’ve been taking a look at.”
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Bowman is returning from a severe knee injury that wiped out his entire 2014 season after three consecutive first-team All-Pro seasons. He leads the 49ers with 46 tackles, but he has not provided the defense with any of the big plays for which he became known.
“What he’s come back from is not an easy thing at all,” 49ers defensive coordinator Eric Mangini said, referring to the knee injury Bowman sustained in the NFC Championship game in Seattle in January 2014.
“And he’s done a great job when you put it into perspective of what he went through and how hard he had to work to get back there. What he doesn’t want, we don’t want, nobody wants, is to take any steps back. So we’re trying to be as conscientious and open collectively about it to get him in the best spots to play on Sundays.”
In the past, Patrick Willis typically drew the tough assignments in coverage over Bowman. This year, opposing offenses have found success against Bowman. According to Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks have completed 21 of 22 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns when targeting Bowman.
San Francisco 49ers
Bowman provided Giants running back Shane Vereen with too much cushion on Eli Manning’s 2-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, the 49ers employed rookie safety Jaquiski Tartt to cover Vereen out of the backfield without much success.
On the game-winning touchdown, Bowman had good coverage on tight end Larry Donnell but could not prevent a 12-yard scoring pass with :21 remaining in the Giants’ 30-27 victory.
“Just like all of our pass coverage, there’ve been times when it’s been really good and outstanding, and there’ve been times where it hasn’t been what we wanted,” Mangini said. “But I can tell you that it’s not unique to NaVorro.
“All that stuff works together. It’s how long do you have to cover for? How quickly is the rush getting there? Is the rush affecting the quarterback? Are we able to bat down balls? All that stuff ties in.”