Did Nick Bosa trip Russell Wilson intentionally? Controversial non-call sparks debate around NFL
From the moment the ball reached the hands of Russell Wilson on Sunday night, Nick Bosa was in his face. In one quick motion, an arm tug and a graceful leg extension mid-stride into Wilson's ankle sent the Broncos QB to the ground for the sack. Though a flag was initially thrown on the play, it was recanted after the officials congregated for discussion. The official ruling on the field was a sack due to incidental contact, much to the disgust of the NBC broadcasting crew. Well, you be the judge:
Nick Bosa on what happened in the tripping/non-tripping play:
"Yeah I just shot through and didn't trip him." 😂 https://t.co/ivcCED589O
"Yeah I just shot through and didn't trip him," said Nick Bosa.
As seen above, Bosa took dry humor jabs of sarcasm over his spur-of-the-moment reflex of desparation.
He wasn't wrong, however, in remarking, "I shot through". In fact, shot out of a cannon would be more accurate. That's because Nick Bosa's sack on Wilson clocked at an incredible 2.3 seconds from the snap. Good enough for the 4th fastest sack of the young NFL season, according to Next Gen stats.
Nick Bosa sacked Russell Wilson in just 2.30 seconds, the 4th-quickest sack of the season and quickest of Bosa's career.
N. Bosa: 3 of 4 quickest sacks of his career have come against Wilson
#SFvsDEN | #FTTB https://t.co/Sd1P1LGwEr
As dominant as the 49ers DE has been since he burst onto the scene, it's easy to forget Nick is still 24 for another month. The youngster plays like a seasoned vet despite missing an entire season to an ACL tear he suffered back in 2020.
The Rise of Nick Bosa and the 'fall' of Russell Wilson
Tripping incidents aside, the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 draft may be the biggest nightmare to defend against. The scary part is, at 24, Bosa hasn't even entered his prime. The opposition knows this, which is why he's double-teamed in the majority of his snaps. If he's not, this is about what it takes to keep him out of the backfield.
I see Nick Bosa is still being held.
@BosaWasHeld #49ers #FTTB https://t.co/bdaVRJunME
Perhaps the Russell Wilson trip is a little compensation for the compouding liberties officials permit against Bosa. In their defense, his quickness can cause many factors to go unnoticed on both ends. However, the above snapshot is one of the many prime examples of what teams get away with when defending one of the best in the game. But if there's one thing we learned from Bosa Sunday Night, it's that he makes even a penalty look good.