Nick Bosa let Kyle Shanahan hear it after his third sack against the Dolphins in the 49ers Week 13 win.
SANTA CLARA -- Nick Bosa shared that his dominating performance in the 49ers' 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Levi's Stadium was sparked by comments made by coach Kyle Shanahan.
November's NFC Defensive Player of the Month and his position mates along the defensive line take pride in being the best in the NFL, as well as the stingiest part of the unit. In the team’s Saturday night meeting, Shanahan was not as complementary of the group as usual.
“Yeah, he threw a little shade at me and the D-line, so we kind of talked in our meeting,” Bosa said after the game. “We don't like being called out like that. It's our head coach, so he obviously has the right and he watches the tape more than anybody, and he expects the most out of us. So, I'm glad we were able to make an impact.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Bosa registered three sacks of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, four hits, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. The 49ers' defense only allowed the Dolphins to run the ball eight times for 33 yards and managed four takeaways, including Bosa’s forced fumble that resulted in a scoop and score by linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
After the game, Shanahan said he has the ultimate confidence in his defensive line but laid down the gauntlet in a challenge to Bosa and his group. The head coach believes their resulting performance was one of their best of the 2022 NFL season.
“I kind of messed with the D-line and Bosa last night, telling them that I thought the linebackers outperformed them last week,” Shanahan said. “I thought they would smile at it, but he didn't smile at all. And right after that last sack where Dre scooped and scored, he came right up to me.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
“I thought we were going to celebrate together and he goes, 'That's what happens when you talk that that way about me in a team meeting.' And I go, 'I'll make a note, I'll make sure to do it a lot more.' So it was pretty cool to see. He was great, unbelievable.”
While Shanahan kept his comments PG rated, the All-Pro pass rusher did not hold back. Bosa was happy to prove his coach wrong and might have appreciated the extra motivation.
“It’s like, ‘Don’t talk s--t about me,’” Bosa said with a slight grin. “Light the fire.”
RELATED: How PFF graded 49ers rookie Purdy in first test vs. Dolphins
Bosa now leads the league with 14.5 quarterback sacks on the season, recording in one game his total for the entire month of November (3.0). The Ohio State product is only one sack shy of his career best 15.5 regular season sack total from 2021.
Bosa is on pace to register nearly 24 sacks for the season, which should make him a shoe in for the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year.
