SANTA CLARA — The 49ers' defense bounced back from back-to-back sub-par performances in Sunday's 30-13 win over the New England Patriots, proving the team very much remains a contender.
Defensive end Nick Bosa was pleased with the group's performance, which included six sacks of Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett, four forced fumbles and just 216 total yards allowed (73 rushing, 143 passing).
"It feels good to get a win," Bosa said after the game. "But it's such a long year that from an outsider's perspective or online, you’d think the building was burning down. But I told the D-line guys in our meeting last night that we've lost some guys, but I haven't lost confidence in this group one bit, and that's the truth. I think we're going to be just fine."
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Before halftime, a D-line that already was without Javon Hargrave lost Jordan Elliot to a knee injury, and the fifth-year veteran did not return. But Kevin Givens (three tackles, 2.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, three QB hits), Maliek Collins (three tackles, 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, two QB hits, one fumble recovery), Sam Okuayinonu (two tackles, one tackle for loss, one QB hit, one forced fumble) and rookie Evan Anderson (two tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss) all stepped up.
After several near-misses, Bosa joined in the sack fun with 2:52 left in the game. The All-Pro took down Brissett and forced a fumble that he also recovered, giving the 49ers their final possession of the game.
"It was looking bleak, but you just have to be ready for your op," Bosa said. "I had a few and missed plenty, but I think we had a great day as a D-line and we got a win. and that’s all that matters."
San Francisco 49ers
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan noted it's no easy task to bring down Brissett, as Bosa and his D-line mates did so many times.
"I was happy for him," Shanahan said of Bosa. "I’m happy for everyone who gets a sack. Jacoby, he's a big man. We compare him to Ben Roethlisberger. If you don't get your body on him, he doesn't go down.
"You can't just grab that guy and pull him down. You got to hit him dead square, and he was close coming around the edge a number of times. Which you can get the strip and stuff, but I haven't really seen anybody just pull him down with one arm. You got to hit him square, and he's one of the more competitive guys who play that position, and it usually takes two to take him down."
Brissett completed 19 of 32 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown with one interception and registered just 3 yards on two carries. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who rushed for 120 yards in New England's season opener, carried the ball 13 times for 43 yards -- just a 3.3-yard average -- against San Francisco's defensive front.
"I need to watch the tape, but it seemed good," Bosa said. "I think coming into the year, I was confident in the depth that we had. I hope Jordan is good. Evan stepped in and looked like he had a good game.
"We've been practicing pretty good. It's just a matter of bringing it to the game. And I think we did that today."
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