49ers Receive Nightmare Injury Update on Nick Bosa

The 49ers have to now adjust the defense without Bosa. It's impossible to replace Bosa or shrink the hole he leaves.

Coincidentally, Bosa tears his ACL in back-to-back seasons under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Operating a defense without Bosa isn't new to Saleh.

It is somewhat reassuring to have Saleh back because he knows how to adapt without Bosa. Plus, rookie Mykel Williams has looked like a stud through three games.

Edge rusher Bryce Huff has also been impactful, but now more will be demanded of these players moving forward. It's possible that both players will begin to struggle without Bosa.

The play in which Bosa got injured was when he was double-teamed. All of that attention goes away, so Williams and Huff have a wider spotlight on them.

This is where Saleh has to come in and assist them. When Bosa was lost for the 2020 season, Saleh switched his defense from a suffocating pass-rushing focus to a lockdown coverage one.

The 49ers' defense has the cornerbacks to do it. Deommodore Lenoir is phenomenal, Renardo Green is sturdy, and Upton Stout just had a clutch pass breakup versus the Cardinals to set up the 49ers' game-winning drive.

The 49ers can follow that route again. And if that doesn't work, if Williams and Huff can't step up, then it will be on the 49ers' offense to pick up the slack.

They will need to put up points to give the defense the breathing space for the drop off to come with Bosa out. Scoring less than 20 points isn't going to cut it.

Luckily, the 49ers are getting healthier on offense, so they should be in an optimal state to score more. It's devastating to be without Bosa for the season, but there are avenues for the 49ers to work around it.

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