Nick Bosa has won the NFL’s defensive player of the week honor five times in his six-year career, but he wasn’t on the field for the 49ers last weekend against the Bears.
In his stead, Yetur Gross-Matos stepped up and became the first 49ers lineman other than Bosa to win the award since 2005.
Gross-Matos sacked Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams three times in the 49ers’ 38-13 romp over the Bears, including two consecutive sacks in the fourth quarter. He finished with four tackles overall.
The 49ers sacked Williams a total of six times, matching their season-high from a September win over the Patriots.
Both Gross-Matos and Leonard Floyd, who contributed two sacks on Sunday, signed with the 49ers in the offseason as free agents.
Gross-Matos joined the Niners from Carolina in March on a two-year, $18 million contract but he missed the season opener with a knee injury suffered in the preseason, then played 81 snaps between Weeks 2 and 4 before hitting the injured reserve when the knee declined. His three-sack day Sunday marked a career high and gave him four for the season over seven games.
Bosa, meanwhile, did not participate in Tuesday’s walkthrough as he rehabs an oblique injury. If he misses a fourth straight game Thursday night against the Rams, the 49ers will again need a strong pass rush from Gross-Matos and Floyd.
