49ers’ Nick Bosa Sends a Strong Message to Cowboys: ‘You See It on Tape’
Pro Bowl player Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers has a direct message for the Dallas Cowboys.
Use the “blueprint” the Niners handed you, Bosa advises the Cowboys as they get ready for their biggest regular season match of the year, which is a home game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14.
In Philadelphia, the NFL-leading Eagles were crushed by the Niners, 42-19. They totally neutralised the Eagles’ running game in the process, and more significantly, they rendered quarterback Jalen Hurt inconsequential.
However, you can see it on tape, Bosa admitted. Of course, we published the blueprint. Bosa expressed optimism that the Cowboys will review the footage in an effort to contain Hurts.
Why Niners Were Able to Limit Jalen Hurts
Hurts, who is regarded as the league’s best dual-threat quarterback, was only able to get 20 rushing yards on seven carries. He had the fewest rushing attempts and rushing yards of the season, excluding the team’s 38-31 victory over the Washington Commanders.
It’s important to remember that Hurts had his best passing performance of the season in that game, with four touchdown passes against only one interception for a 135.7 passer rating and 76.3% completion percentage. Hurts, on the other hand, completed 57.8% of passes with an 85.2 passer rating and just one passing score in the Niners’ defeat.
One thing in particular the Niners did extremely well against Hurts was containing gaps, specifically the B-gap. By keeping two defensive lineman back to contain the gaps, the Niners often rushed two linemen and kept a quarterback spy behind. By going with this strategy, the Niners limited Hurts’ ability to run, which forced him to throw a season-high 45 passes.
“We made Jalen stay in the pocket and escape outside instead of those B-gaps, and it paid off,” said Bosa. “Because Jalen is looking at the rush every play, so you just have to be disciplined and not give him that quick escape route where he can get to his guys quick.”
Why the Cowboys Can Also Limit Jalen Hurts
The Cowboys may not have the stacked defensive front that the Niners have, but they feature arguably the top pass-rushing threat in the league in Micah Parsons along with formidable pass rushers in Dorance Armstrong Jr., DeMarcus Lawrence and Dante Fowler. Dallas actually ranks seventh in the league in sacks (37), ahead of the Niners (36).
Dallas actually did a decent job of containing Hurts during their earlier matchup against Philadelphia, limiting him to 36 rushing yards on 10 carries. However, they also allowed Hurts to do severe damage through the air on a limited number of passing attempts, as the Eagles QB threw for 207 yards on just 23 attempts. Hurts threw for a season-high 9.0 yards per attempt and 10.74 adjusted yards per attempt.
The Cowboys’ strategy going into this game is probably to restrict Hurts like the Niners did. The fact that the Niners confined the B-gaps not only impacted Hurts’ play, but also their offence as a whole.Philadelphia averaged just 4.8 yards per play and gained a season-low 46 running yards.
The Eagles will have to wait and see if they can foil the Cowboys’ possible plan, although it seems unlikely given that the Niners easily defeated Philadelphia.
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