'San Francisco 49ers Are 'America's Team!': Nick Bosa Taunts Losing Dallas Cowboys

‘San Francisco 49ers Are ‘America’s Team!’: Nick Bosa Taunts Losing Dallas Cowboys

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This isn’t some trophy that gets passed around to the latest winner or the latest “hot thing.’’ “America’s Team’’ is an identity and a brand. Other teams and cities and states have theirs; this is yours.

FRISCO - It is part of the pressure of being the Dallas Cowboys … with the high profile, the nationally televised games, the marketing power and yes, “America’s Team.’’

When you’re “America’s Team,’’ you are the envy of your foes. And they want to steal your thunder.

Hours after the San Francisco 49ers did just that in an on-the-field manner, having defeated the Cowboys, 23-17, at AT&T Stadium to knock Dallas out of the postseason, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa took to Instagram to deliver what he obviously thinks is a clever and original message:

Dallas is no longer “America’s Team.’’ That honor has now been bestowed on the 49ers, claims the Pro Bowl pass-rusher.

Unfortunately for the NFL’s 31 wanna-be’s, all of whom over the course of recent decades have made such a ludicrous claim after having accomplished nothing more than beating the actual “America’s Team,’’ that’s not the way this works.

This was the NFC rivals’ first playoff matchup since the 1994 NFC Championship Game, during a time when the two clubs played in three straight conference title games. The Niners of that era were almost, but not quite, as good as the Cowboys. But even San Francisco’s “almost’’ didn’t make them “America’s Team,’’ and the 49ers winning a singular playoff game on Wild Card Weekend doesn’t make them that, either.

Using Bosa’s logic: If this week, the 49ers lose at Green Bay, are the Packers now “America’s Team’’? If the Buffalo Bills later beat the Packers in the Super Bowl, are the Bills now “America’s Team’'?

That is, unless Nick Bosa thinks the next time the Cowboys beat the 49ers, Dallas gets to start calling itself “The Golden Gate City.''

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Nick Bosa is proof that fans shouldn’t doubt Chase Young after ACL tear

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GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers sacks Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals during the game at State Farm Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 17-10. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

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Even before the Washington Football Team brings in any new faces this offseason, there’s reason to be bullish on their future.

After all, it’s just not possible for the club to endure as much adversity as it did throughout the 2021-22 regular season. Speaking strictly in terms of injuries, can anyone remember the last time the roster was at full-strength?

It’d almost be easier to keep track of players who didn’t get hurt.

Between Chase Young, JD McKissic, Logan Thomas, Landon Collins, Montez Sweat, William Jackson, Curtis Samuel, Chase Roullier, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sam Cosmi, Jon Bostic, Wes Schweitzer and Benjamin St-Juste, an impossible number of impact players spent time on the shelf due to injury.

It’s fair to assume that number will drop in a significant way next season, but Washington will also be counting on these players — at least the ones that are signed through 2022, anyway — to rebound.

That’s easier said than done, but when it comes to Chase Young and his torn ACL, 49er star Nick Bosa should give him hope.

Kyle Shanahan today on Nick Bosa: “I don’t think people appreciate how good Bosa is play-in and play-out. I’ve heard people talk about him for Comeback Player of the Year, and every time they say that, I can’t believe he hasn’t been mentioned in Defensive Player of the Year.” — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 14, 2022

49ers star Nick Bosa’s incredible season post-ACL surgery should instill confidence in Chase Young.

The similarities between Bosa’s and Young’s career trajectories are hard to ignore. Both players starred at Ohio State (they were teammates) and won Defensive Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons in 2019 and 2020. Like Young, Bosa, due to a torn ACL, lost the chance to piggyback off a promising rookie season.

For those who don’t know, Bosa was one of the most proficient pass rushers in the league this campaign. The likes of TJ Watt, Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett and yes, Micah Parsons, have garnered more buzz for the Defensive Player of the Year award, but Bosa’s numbers were right on par with those studs.

For comparison’s sake, let’s take a look at how Bosa’s statistics align with some of the best defensive ends in 2021. We’ll throw Maxx Crosby in there, too, since he got an All-Pro nod over the 49ers game-wrecker.

Bosa: 21 tackles for loss (leads NFL), 15.5 sacks, 32 QB hits, 75 pressures, 42 hurries, four forced fumbles, 89.8 pass rush grade.

Watt: 21 tackles for loss, 22.5 sacks, 39 QB hits, 62 pressures, 25 hurries, five forced fumbles, 90.6 pass rush grade.

Garrett: 16 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 33 QB hits, 78 pressures, 45 hurries, one forced fumble, 92.7 pass-rush grade.

Crosby: 13 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 30 QB hits, 101 pressures, 72 hurries, zero forced fumbles, 91.8 pass-rush grade.

Parsons: 20 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 30 QB hits, 67 pressures, 39 hurries, three forced fumbles, 93.0 pass-rush grade.

See what we’re saying? Bosa underwent ACL reconstruction surgery last year and legitimately hasn’t skipped a beat. Important to note, too, that Bosa was one of the most double-teamed DEs in the month of December.

Nick Bosa not making the AP All-Pro team “shocked” Kyle Shanahan 😮 (via @jenniferleechan) https://t.co/SZ9yYmbuP9 pic.twitter.com/86b4lDZQ2y — 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) January 15, 2022

This isn’t to say that Young will replicate Bosa’s all-word season.

Fans should know Bosa’s injury occurred just two games into last season. Since Young played into November, odds are he won’t be all systems go for the start of training camp, like Bosa was. Rather, it’s more likely Young is limited at camp, through the preseason and maybe a few weeks into the regular season.

That’s also not the point. Expecting Young to be an All-Pro candidate after a major surgery is as unrealistic as it is unfair. What matters is that the blueprint is there for Young to hit the ground running whenever he does return.

The recovery timeline for ACLs is much earlier compared to what it used to be and Bosa is just the latest example that it’s no longer a career-altering injury.

Doubt Young at your own risk, folks.

NFL’s All Pro Team Snubs Nick Bosa

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He recorded 15.5 sacks – fourth most in the NFL. He had a monster season.

Two 49ers made the NFL’s All Pro team this season, and neither one is Nick Bosa.

Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams both were named first-team All Pro, and both deserve the honor. Williams has been the best left tackle in the NFL for a decade, while Samuel emerged this season as the premier offensive weapon in football regardless of position.

But shouldn’t Bosa be an All Pro, too?

He recorded 15.5 sacks – fourth most in the NFL. He had a monster season. You could argue he’s one of the best defensive players in the NFL regardless of position and the best player on the 49ers – even better than Samuel and Wiliams.

And while it’s understandable Bosa didn’t make first-team All Pro (only two edge rushers made it, and both had more sacks than Bosa), shouldn’t he have been second-team All Pro instead of Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, who had eight sacks? Bosa nearly doubled his total.

“I definitely think Bosa should be there,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday. “There’s no doubt about that, I don’t think people appreciate how good Bosa is play-in and play-out. I’ve heard people talk about him for Comeback Player of the Year and every time they say that I can’t believe he hasn’t been mentioned in Defensive Player of the Year. So that was a surprise to me.”

In addition to Bosa, other 49ers who did not make the All Pro team were George Kittle, Fred Warner, Arik Armstead and Jimmie Ward.

WATCH: Nick Bosa, Samson Ebukam sack Dak Prescott

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The 49ers defense got out to as hot of a start as their offense did. After a San Francisco touchdown, their defense came up with a three-and-out that ended with a sack of quarterback Dak Prescott. Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam both got home and credit for the sack to force a punt.

49ers’ Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel make AP All-Pro team, Nick Bosa edged out by Raider

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Left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Deebo Samuel have made The Associated Press’ All-Pro First Team in recognition of their stellar seasons for the 49ers.

Nick Bosa? Well, he got snubbed, but at least made it back the playoffs, which start Sunday for the No. 6-seed 49ers at the No. 3-seed Dallas Cowboys.

“I definitely think Bosa should definitely be there,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday. “No doubt about that. I’m shocked. I don’t think people appreciate how good Bosa is, play in and play out.

“I’ve heard people talk about him for comeback player of the year, and every time they say that, I can’t believe he hasn’t been mentioned as defensive player of the year. That was a surprise to me.”

Bosa, despite a career-high 15 1/2 sacks and a NFL-leading 31 tackles for loss, garnered only five votes from the AP’s 50-member voting panel. That left him one vote shy of All-Pro Second Team honors. T.J. Watt (Steelers, 50 votes) and Myles Garrett (Browns, 29) were the First Team defensive ends, while Robert Quinn (Bears, 9) and Maxx Crosby (Raiders, 6) made Second Team.

If anyone can offer Bosa consolation, it’s Williams, who drew All-Pro honors for the first time in his 11 seasons, after making the Pro Bowl his past nine.

Williams, on Thursday, said of the impending All-Pro nod: “It’d definitely feel good, finally. I can’t let it define my career because I’ve never made it. If that’s what I need to define my career, then anything I’ve done up to now is hogwash. If I make it, it’s feel good to get a notch if that happens.”

Samuel, in only his third season, made the All-Pro First Team with 21 votes, joining two wide receivers who were unanimous selections, Davante Adams (Packers) and Cooper Kupp (Rams).

Samuel called it a blessing to make All-Pro, not to mention his first Pro Bowl selection, which fulfilled some of the preseason goals he set alongside Williams.

“We still have one goal left and that’s to get the ring on the finger,” Samuel said.

Before each game, Samuel and Williams lead the 49ers out of their locker room and into the tunnel, with music blaring from an oversized boom box.

“It’s been a real connection with him since he’s been here and I met him,” Samuel said. “We’re the guys that know all the music and are the hype guys in the room.”

Asked how he’d describe his hybrid position on the field, Samuel said: “Wide back,” short for a wide receiver playing running back.

“He reminds me, from a schematic utilization perspective, of Randall Cobb,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said this week. “We used Randall in the backfield. There wasn’t anything we couldn’t do with Randall. And I think he is the same way. He’s a dynamic player with the ball in his hands, and also, he can throw the ball.”

Yes, Samuel threw his first career touchdown pass last game, but he made his first All-Pro and Pro Bowl by combining his receiving prowess (1,405 yards, six touchdowns) with rushing skills (365 yards, eight touchdowns). He also had three punt returns for a team-best average of 25 yards per return.

“You can see the creativity has no limits with him and their offense,” McCarthy added.

Added Mike McDaniel, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator: “He’s a wise 25, soon to be 26-year-old on Saturday, and he’s getting better and better as we progress. And as a result, the 49ers are getting better as well.”

Linebacker Fred Warner, a First Team All-Pro pick last year, was not among the 15 linebackers who received a vote this season.

No one voted, either, for tight end George Kittle, who made First Team All-Pro in 2019 and Second Team in 2018.

Bosa did not make All-Pro and drew just two votes in 2019, when he won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

All-Pros that the 49ers will face when they visit the Cowboys are linebacker Micah Parsons, guard Zack Martin, cornerback Trevon Diggs and punter Bryan Anger.

Here is the All-Pro voting (*First Team, **Second Team):

OFFENSE

Quarterback

*Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay, 34; **Tom Brady, Tampa Bay, 16.

Running Back

*Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis, 50. (No second team RB)

Tight End

*Mark Andrews, Baltimore, 41; **Travis Kelce, Kansas City, 9.

Wide Receiver

*Davante Adams, Green Bay, 50; *Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams, 50; *Deebo Samuel, San Francisco, 21; **Justin Jefferson, Minnesota, 20; **Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati, 9.

Left Tackle

*Trent Williams, San Francisco, 46; **Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers, 2; Orlando Brown Jr., Kansas City, 1; Tyron Smith, Dallas, 1.

Right Tackle

*Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay, 37; **Lane Johnson, Philadelphia, 10; Brian O’Neill, Minnesota, 3.

Left Guard

*Joel Bitonio, Cleveland, 28; **Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis, 13; Joe Thuney, Kansas City, 6; Ali Marpet, Tampa Bay, 2; Rodger Saffold, Tennessee, 1.

Right Guard

*Zack Martin, Dallas, 46; **Wyatt Teller, Cleveland, 2; Shaq Mason, New England, 1; Brandon Scherff, Washington, 1.

Center

*Jason Kelce, Philadelphia, 21; **Corey Linsley, Los Angeles Chargers, 11; Creed Humphrey, Kansas City, 10; Ryan Jensen, Tampa Bay, 5; Ryan Kelly, Indianapolis, 3.

DEFENSE

Edge Rushers

*T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh, 50; *Myles Garrett, Cleveland, 29; **Robert Quinn, Chicago, 9; **Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas, 6; Nick Bosa, San Francisco, 5; Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers, 1.

Interior Linemen

*Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams, 50; *Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh, 19; Chris Jones, Kansas City, 10; Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee, 10; DeForest Buckner, Indianapolis, 5; Kenny Clark, Green Bay, 2; Vita Vea, Tampa Bay, 2; Jonathan Allen, Washington, 2.

Linebackers

*Micah Parsons, Dallas, 46; *Darius Leonard, Indianapolis, 44; **De’Vondre Campbell, Green Bay, 18; **Demario Davis, New Orleans, 10; **Roquan Smith, Chicago, 10; Bobby Wagner, Seattle, 7; Lavonte David, Tampa Bay, 3; Matthew Judon, New England, 3; Denzel Perryman, Las Vegas, 2; Foye Oluokun, Atlanta, 2; C.J. Mosley, New York Jets, 1; Jordyn Brooks, Seattle, 1; Devin White, Tampa Bay, 1; Matt Milano, Buffalo, 1; Tremaine Edmunds, Buffalo, 1.

Cornerbacks

*Trevon Diggs, Dallas, 33; *Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams, 32; **J.C. Jackson, New England, 25; **A.J. Terrell, Atlanta, 8; Darius Slay, Philadelphia, 1; Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans, 1.

Safeties

*Kevin Byard, Tennessee, 41; *Jordan Poyer, Buffalo, 12; **Budda Baker, Arizona, 10; **Justin Simmons, Denver, 10; **Micah Hyde, Buffalo, 10; Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers, 5; Quandre Diggs, Seattle, 3; Marcus Williams, New Orleans, 3; Adrian Phillips, New England, 2; Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay, 1; Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh, 1; Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City, 1; Harrison Smith, Minnesota, 1.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Placekicker

*Justin Tucker, Baltimore, 40; **Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas, 8; Nick Folk, New England, 1; Matt Gay, Los Angeles Rams, 1.

Punter

*AJ Cole, Las Vegas, 21; **Bryan Anger, Dallas 18; Michael Dickson, Seattle, 5; Logan Cooke, Jacksonville, 3; Sam Martin, Denver, 1; Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles Rams, 1; Cameron Johnson, Houston, 1.

Kick Returner

*Braxton Berrios, New York Jets, 27; **Andre Roberts, Los Angeles Chargers, 13; Kene Nwangwu, Minnesota, 7; Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo, 1; Jakeem Grant, Chicago, 1; Devin Duvernay, Baltimore, 1.

Punt Returner

*Devin Duvernay, Baltimore, 28; **Jakeem Grant, Chicago, 20; Braxton Berrios, New York Jets, 2.

x-Special Teamer

*J.T. Gray, New Orleans, 18; **Matthew Slater, New England, 10; Ashton Dulin, Indianapolis, 10; Miles Killebrew, Pittsburgh, 3; Matt Adams, Indianapolis, 3; Frankie Luvu, Carolina, 2; E.J. Speed, Indianapolis, 1; Nick Bellore, Seattle 1; Derek Watt, Pittsburgh, 1.

y-Long Snapper

*Luke Rhodes, Indianapolis, 22; **Josh Harris, Atlanta, 12; Morgan Cox, Tennessee, 4; Trent Sieg, Las Vegas, 4; Nick Moore, Baltimore, 3; Joe Cardona, New England, 3.

x-one voter did not select a special teamer; y-two voters did not select long snappers.