SANTA CLARA — Nick Bosa notched his 11.5 sack in the 49ers' 13-0 win over the New Orleans Saints but the star pass rusher was a little doubtful he would get credit when it happened.
There were a little more than six minutes left in the game and Bosa sped around the right side of the line and quickly dragged Saints quarterback Andy Dalton to the grass. Initially, it appeared that the defensive end might have been offside, but it wasn’t called.
“It was great,” Bosa said of the sack after the game. “I didn’t think it counted, but once I realized it did, I was pretty happy. Thought I jumped but I looked at it and I think it was just a good jump.”
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Bosa watched the replay on the big screens at Levi’s Stadium and reevaluated his thoughts on the play.
“I think the tackle got off at basically the same time,” Bosa said.
The home crowd was rowdy as usual which makes opposing offenses use a silent count. Without being able to hear the cadence of the quarterback, pass rushers watch the center’s head motion to time their rush.
“I think the whole game I was trying to get a feel for the head bob,” Bosa said. “Our fans are awesome, so it makes it tough at home, they have to go silent cadence with the head bob. I definitely was trying to get a good jump there and ended up getting it.”
San Francisco 49ers
Bosa’s takedown of Dalton was the lone sack of the game but the defense as a unit still had an impressive shutout performance. The group held the Saints to 63 total yards rushing and Dalton completed 18 of his 29 attempts for 204 yards.
Versatile running back Alvin Kamara was held to 13 yards rushing and 37 yards receiving.
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“Mission accomplished,” Bosa said regarding Kamara’s performance. “The type of game we expected is them trying to get the run game going and then doing it with Taysom Hill as well. Whenever you do that, it’s a really good chance. Making a team one dimensional, it’s tough for them.”
The 49ers' defense has an even bigger test ahead with the Miami Dolphins coming to town in a week. Not only will they see head coach Mike McDaniel, but Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., River Cracraft, and Trent Sherfield will all return to the Bay Area.