Five Matchups To Watch: 1 Braxton Jones V. Nick Bosa
We are officially into 49ers week and Chicago Bears football is merely a few days away. Both teams will feature tremendous talent on both sides of the ball but there are a few matchups worth keying in on that could play a major impact in determining the outcome.
LT Braxton Jones V. DE Nick Bosa
Despite having a talented front there's no denying that Nick Bosa is the 49ers best pass rusher and among one of the league's best. Bosa won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 where he recorded 9 sacks, 16 TFLS, and 47 total tackles. Bosa didn't skip a beat last season after he missed nearly all of 2020. Bosa recorded 15.5 sacks, 21 TFLs, and 52 total tackles as he went on to earn his second Pro Bowl selection in three seasons in the league. Bosa checks all the boxes that you would wish for in a perennial edge rusher and at only 24 years old he should continue to climb the ranks.
In recent history there undoubtedly has not been an offensive lineman rise to the ranks more than Braxton Jones, especially for a 5th round selection. Nearly nobody could have guessed after the draft that in September we would be talking about Braxton Jones being Justin Fields' blindside. From very early in minicamp and OTAs we saw various reports and news about Jones running with the first team and when training camp hit the public was able to see this was not just a rumor and Jones was a diamond found on day three of the draft. In a recent press conference, we heard from Ryan Poles confirming the hype of Braxton Jones and how legit he is. Poles commended how Jones was «extremely smart with his hands» and commended how well his footwork was. Our exposure to Jones has been limited with not an overflow of preseason snaps so for a team hungry for a revamped offensive line there may not be a player more closely watched on the offensive line as this season unfolds.
