SANTA CLARA — There’s no doubt that the 49ers missed Nick Bosa’s presence at the end of their 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
The All-Pro defensive end left the game at Levi’s Stadium after he strained his oblique during a sack of quarterback Geno Smith midway through the third quarter. After the game, Bosa lamented needing to take himself out of the contest.
“Brutal, brutal,” Bosa said. “The most important time in a game for me to be out there, and I wasn’t able to be. I hate missing time; that’s why I pushed through last week, and hopefully it’s not too long.”
The Seahawks didn’t score any touchdowns while Bosa was in the game, then scored two after his departure.
Bosa already was playing through a hip pointer that he sustained in practice before the 49ers’ Week 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The pass rusher believes overcompensating due to the original injury on Sunday caused the opposite side to flare up.
As for what lies ahead for San Francisco’s star defender, Bosa will see how he feels on Monday and is hopeful he won’t miss too much time. But there is a fear that his availability for the next game could be in jeopardy.
“It’s definitely there,” Bosa said. “I don’t know. I’ve got to see.”
The 49ers have better odds to win games when their best players are on the field, and that includes the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Now sitting at 5-5, the 49ers have an uphill climb if they want to reach the NFL playoffs.
“It’s kind of hard to think about the big picture right now,” Bosa said. “But we have a lot of games left and all we got to do is get in the dance. I definitely still have confidence.”
The 49ers have a lot of work to do to play past Week 18, but their hopes are not completely lost. Bosa being on the field definitely will help matters.