Faithful Flashbacks #59: Nick Bosa’s Defensive Player of the Year

Faithful Flashbacks revisits Nick Bosa’s dominant season and rise to NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Jun 16, 2026, 5:00 AM

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In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will count down to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th.

Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

Coming in at No. 59 on our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown of the 80 best moments in franchise history is Nick Bosa winning Defensive Player of the Year.

The 49ers drafted Bosa with the second overall pick in 2019, and it did not take long for him to look like the centerpiece of their defense. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year while helping San Francisco reach the Super Bowl during his debut campaign.

His climb to the league’s best defensive players was interrupted when he tore his ACL early in the 2020 season. Bosa returned the following year with 15.5 sacks, proving that the injury was not going to stop him from being an elite pass rusher. His following 2022 season was even more impressive.

Bosa finished the regular season with 18.5 sacks, the best in the NFL and the second-highest single-season total in 49ers history. He also recorded 19 tackles for loss en route to First-Team All-Pro honors, leading the NFL’s best defensive unit.

The 49ers won the NFC West and eventually made their way to the NFC Championship Game, despite needing three different starting quarterbacks along the way. Brock Purdy’s emergence that season was previously featured on ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ at No. 65.

While much of the attention went toward Purdy, Bosa provided game-changing play on the other side of the ball.

His performance made the Defensive Player of the Year vote pretty obvious. Bosa received 46 of 50 first-place votes, becoming the first 49ers player to win the award since Dana Stubblefield in 1997.

He joined Stubblefield and Deion Sanders as the only San Francisco players to earn the honor.

Bosa arrived in San Francisco with massive expectations and had lived up to them, despite already overcoming a major injury. In his fourth season, he reached the top of his position and added his name to a short list of defenders in the 49ers’ franchise history.

Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule

June 9-10, 2026 – Mandatory Minicamps
Late July 2026 – NFL Training Camps open
Thursday, September 10th – vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (Season Opener) – 5:35 pm PT
Sunday, September 20th – vs. Miami Dolphins – 1:25 pm PT
Sunday, September 27th – vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PT
Sunday, October 4th – vs. Denver Broncos – 1:25 pm PT