SEATTLE — Nick Bosa’s strip-sack and ensuing fumble recovery meant a 17-13 win for the 49ers on Sunday at Lumen Field, but what happened after the play meant even more for the All-Pro defensive end.
After pressure from Bosa pushed Seattle Seahawks right tackle Abraham Lucas into quarterback Sam Darnold, dislodging the ball, Bosa recovered the fumble and ran all the way to the opposite end zone for a celebration with his defensive teammates.
As the pass rusher turned and walked towards the bench area, defensive line coach Kris Kocurek met him on the field. Bosa handed the ball to his long-time coach and then the two embraced for an extended moment before walking off the field together.
“I’ve always dreamed of doing that,” Bosa told NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. “It meant a lot to do that for him.”
Kocurek was has been Bosa’s positional coach since the defender was selected by the 49ers as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. The two often are seen chatting, and the towering lineman frequently greets the coach’s young daughter when she is on the field during pregame warmups.
“It means a lot,” Bosa said. “It was a grind of a game, lots of ups and downs. It tested us in a lot of ways, so it was really good. Ending with a win is what were always aiming for, and the fact that I was able to help is always great.”
Bosa had a strong start to the 2025 NFL season with not only the game-sealing strip-sack and fumble recovery, but also six solo tackles — three for a loss — and a quarterback hit to boot.
When asked about the relationship between Bosa and his position coach, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh shared that the two are very close.
“That’s been his coach for his entire NFL career,” Saleh told NBC Sports Bay Area. “They have a special bond, it’s really cool to see.”
The defense as a whole helped finish the game, something the 49ers were unable to do in 2024. Maybe it was partially due to Lumen Field being a less hostile environment than it used to be, the stands littered with red jerseys, or that players like Bosa feel the need to do more as leaders for their young defense.
The lineman shared that Saleh had a lot to do with the outcome.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s as good of a defensive coach [as there is] in the league,” Bosa said. “And you could just feel leading up to the game how important this is to him. He’s trying to get everything perfect before we step out on the field so that everybody knows. With a lot of young guys, he was a little nervous coming in, but we all were. And just putting players in the best positions possible.”
Bosa, who did not play during the preseason and was on the practice field for limited reps during training camp, did confirm it was an adjustment to play a full 60-minute game. But with the support of Kocurek and Saleh, the star pass rusher knows the group will only get better.
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