Another ACL injury sidelines 49ers star: what it could mean for playoff hopes
Star pass rusher Nick Bosa tears his ACL, leaving San Francisco’s defense scrambling for solutions in the NFC West title race.
San Francisco’s injury woes show no sign of ending. The 49ers have lost Nick Bosa for the rest of the year. The 27-year-old defensive end tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2025 NFL season.
The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year suffered the injury in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals. At first, the team was unsure how serious it was, but an MRI revealed the grim reality – Bosa will not return this season. The one silver lining is that no other ligaments were damaged.
Despite playing just 63% of the defensive snaps through the opening three games, Bosa had already racked up 17 tackles and two sacks, while also forcing two fumbles and recovering one.
San Francisco will now need its depth players to step up. Rookie Mykel Williams will be asked to take on a bigger role, while Bryce Huff and Sam Okuayinonu must seize their chances. From the practice squad, Robert Beal Jr. and Trevis Gipson are available to be elevated on game days.
Bosa’s third major knee injury
Knee injuries have been a recurring theme in Bosa’s career. This is the third torn ligament he has suffered since he began playing football. The first came in 2015, when he tore the ACL in his left knee while at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
He remained healthy during his college years with the Ohio State Buckeyes, but as a pro, his second serious injury was even more devastating. In 2020, he managed only two games before tearing the ACL in his left knee again – along with the meniscus.
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