The San Francisco 49ers are going to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years, and Nick Bosa is a big reason why.
The former Ohio State defensive end helped lead the 49ers to an NFC Championship Game win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday by recording two sacks, already the fourth time he’s had a multi-sack playoff game in his NFL career.
Bear on the hunt. #DETvsSF on FOX
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 29, 2024
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\_()_/#DETvsSF on FOX
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 29, 2024
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Both of those sacks came in the second quarter. Not coincidentally, those were the only two drives in the first half on which the Lions didn’t score touchdowns, keeping the 49ers in the game despite a slow start offensively.
With the 49ers needing a stop in their own territory down 24-10 on the Lions’ opening drive of the third quarter, Bosa came up big again. While he wasn’t quite able to make his third sack of the game, his pressure off the edge helped force an incomplete pass on 4th-and-3 for a turnover on downs at the 28-yard line.
That would prove to be the turning point in the game as the 49ers went on to score 27 straight points in the second half, ultimately finishing the game with a 34-31 win.
Bosa’s efforts to lead the 49ers to victory earned him our Pro Buck of the Week award for the second week in a row as the top-performing player from Ohio State in the NFL’s conference championship games.
| Week | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Saints CB Marshon Lattimore | 1 INT, 3 PBU, 2 tackles |
| Week 2 | Texans QB C.J. Stroud | 30-47 passing, 384 yards, 2 TD |
| Week 3 | Saints WR Chris Olave | 8 catches, 104 yards |
| Week 4 | Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper | 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 35-yard fumble return TD |
| Week 5 | Bears QB Justin Fields | 15-29 passing, 282 yards, 4 TD; 11 carries, 57 yards |
| Week 6 | Bengals DE Sam Hubbard | 7 tackles, 1 sack, 5 QB hits |
| Week 7 | Dolphins LB Jerome Baker | 11 tackles, 1 TFL, 22-yard interception return TD |
| Week 8 | Broncos OLB Baron Browning | 4 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 1 FF |
| Week 9 | Texans QB C.J. Stroud | 30-42 passing, 470 yards, 5 TD; 10 rushing yards |
| Week 10 | Texans WR Noah Brown | 7 catches, 172 yards |
| Week 11 | Alouettes WR Austin Mack | 6 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD in Grey Cup win |
| Week 12 | Rams S Jordan Fuller | 4 PBU, 3 tackles |
| Week 13 | Saints WR Chris Olave | 5 catches, 119 yards |
| Week 14 | Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott | 22 carries, 68 yards; 7 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD; 1 tackle |
| Week 15 | Commanders WR Terry McLaurin | 6 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD; 1 tackle |
| Week 16 | Falcons DE Zach Harrison | 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 PBU |
| Week 17 | Browns S Ronnie Hickman | 4 tackles, 30-yard interception return TD |
| Week 18 | Texans QB C.J. Stroud | 20-26 passing, 264 yards, 2 TD; 3 carries, 20 yards |
| Wild Card | Texans QB C.J. Stroud | 16-21 passing, 274 yards, 3 TD; 1 carry, 1 yard |
| Divisional | 49ers DE Nick Bosa | 3 tackles, 5 QB hits |
| Championship | 49ers DE Nick Bosa | 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 QB hits |
Bosa will now prepare to play in the Super Bowl for the second time. He and the 49ers will look to avenge their loss from four years ago, his rookie season, when they suffered a 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs – the same team they’ll play this year – in Super Bowl LIV.
Fellow former Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, who joined the 49ers midseason after a trade from the Washington Commanders, will play in his first Super Bowl. He is the 67th different Buckeye to be on the roster of a Super Bowl team.
| Player | Years (Teams) |
|---|---|
| JIM TYRER | 1967, 1970 (Kansas City Chiefs) |
| MATT SNELL | 1969 (New York Jets) |
| BOB VOGEL | 1969, 1971 (Baltimore Colts) |
| TOM MATTE | 1969 (Baltimore Colts) |
| JIM MARSHALL | 1970, 1974, 1975, 1977 (Minnesota Vikings) |
| PAUL WARFIELD | 1972, 1973, 1974 (Miami Dolphins) |
| MORRIS BRADSHAW | 1977, 1981 (Oakland Raiders) |
| NEAL COLZIE | 1977 (Oakland Raiders) |
| JACK TATUM | 1977 (Oakland Raiders) |
| LEONARD WILLIS | 1977 (Minnesota Vikings) |
| RANDY GRADISHAR | 1978 (Denver Broncos) |
| BOB BRUDZINSKI | 1980 (Los Angeles Rams), 1983, 1985 (Miami Dolphins) |
| DOUG FRANCE | 1980 (Los Angeles Rams) |
| ARCHIE GRIFFIN | 1982 (Cincinnati Bengals) |
| RAY GRIFFIN | 1982 (Cincinnati Bengals) |
| PETE JOHNSON | 1982 (Cincinnati Bengals), 1985 (Miami Dolphins) |
| TOM OROSZ | 1983 (Miami Dolphins) |
| JOHN FRANK | 1985, 1989 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| SHAUN GAYLE | 1986 (Chicago Bears) |
| MIKE TOMCZAK | 1986 (Chicago Bears), 1996 (Pittsburgh Steelers) |
| PEPPER JOHNSON | 1987, 1991 (New York Giants) |
| WILLIAM ROBERTS | 1987, 1991 (New York Giants), 1997 (New England Patriots) |
| JOE STAYSNIAK | 1992 (Buffalo Bills) |
| JIM LACHEY | 1992 (Washington Redskins) |
| KEITH BYARS | 1997 (New England Patriots) |
| TERRY GLENN | 1997 (New England Patriots) |
| TOM TUPA | 1997 (New England Patriots), 2003 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) |
| TITO PAUL | 1999 (Denver Broncos) |
| WILLIAM WHITE | 1999 (Atlanta Falcons) |
| EDDIE GEORGE | 2000 (Tennessee Titans) |
| CHRIS SANDERS | 2000 (Tennessee Titans) |
| JOE GERMAINE | 2000 (St. Louis Rams) |
| ORLANDO PACE | 2000 (St. Louis Rams), 2002 (St. Louis Rams) |
| LORENZO STYLES | 2000 (St. Louis Rams) |
| JOE MONTGOMERY | 2001 (New York Giants) |
| MIKE VRABEL | 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008 (New England Patriots) |
| RYAN PICKETT | 2002 (St. Louis Rams), 2011 (Green Bay Packers) |
| RICKEY DUDLEY | 2003 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) |
| RODNEY BAILEY | 2006 (Seattle Seahawks) |
| TYLER EVERETT | 2007 (Chicago Bears) |
| SANTONIO HOLMES | 2009 (Pittsburgh Steelers) |
| MALCOLM JENKINS | 2010 (New Orleans Saints), 2018 (Philadelphia Eagles) |
| WILL SMITH | 2010 (New Orleans Saints) |
| WILL ALLEN | 2011 (Pittsburgh Steelers) |
| A.J. HAWK | 2011 (Green Bay Packers) |
| MATT WILHELM | 2011 (Green Bay Packers) |
| JAKE BALLARD | 2012 (New York Giants) |
| JIM CORDLE | 2012 (New York Giants) |
| ALEX BOONE | 2013 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| TED GINN | 2013 (San Francisco 49ers), 2016 (Carolina Panthers) |
| LARRY GRANT | 2013 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| DONTE WHITNER | 2013 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| NATE EBNER | 2015, 2017, 2019 (New England Patriots) |
| BRADLEY ROBY | 2016 (Denver Broncos) |
| COREY "PHILLY" BROWN | 2016 (Carolina Panthers) |
| KURT COLEMAN | 2016 (Carolina Panthers) |
| ANDREW NORWELL | 2016 (Carolina Panthers) |
| JOHN SIMON | 2019 (New England Patriots) |
| JAKE MCQUAIDE | 2019 (Los Angeles Rams) |
| DARRON LEE | 2020 (Kansas City Chiefs) |
| NICK BOSA | 2020, 2024 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| ELI APPLE | 2022 (Cincinnati Bengals) |
| VONN BELL | 2022 (Cincinnati Bengals) |
| SAM HUBBARD | 2022 (Cincinnati Bengals) |
| ISAIAH PRINCE | 2022 (Cincinnati Bengals) |
| TREY SERMON | 2023 (Philadelphia Eagles) |
| CHASE YOUNG | 2024 (San Francisco 49ers) |
| Winning players/years in bold | |
Young drew scrutiny for his lack of effort on a 15-yard touchdown run by Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the first half of the game, but ultimately recorded three tackles in the 49ers’ win, including a two-yard tackle for loss against Gibbs.
Bosa and Young will be the only two Buckeyes on the field in this year’s Super Bowl, as the Chiefs do not have any former Ohio State players on their roster.
The 49ers’ win ended the season for a trio of former Ohio State players – Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker, left guard Jonah Jackson and long snapper Jake McQuaide – who helped the Lions earn their first two playoff wins in 32 years before losing on Sunday. Jackson was unable to play in the Lions’ season-ending loss after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear in his knee.
Jameson Williams, who started his collegiate career at Ohio State before transferring to Alabama, had a big game for the Lions in defeat. He scored a pair of touchdowns on a 42-yard run and a 3-yard catch.
LETS GO JAMO! @bigsgjamo
— NFL (@NFL) January 28, 2024
: #DETvsSF on FOX
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Goff to Williams for six. Lions down 3 with 56 seconds to go.
— NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2024
: #DETvsSF on FOX
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/jZ9o1KsKLl
Malik Harrison’s season also ended Sunday, as the Baltimore Ravens lost 17-10 to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Harrison, the only Buckeye on the Ravens’ postseason roster, recorded three tackles in the loss.
Super Bowl LVIII will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The game will be televised on CBS.
The table below, compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge, contains full stats for every former Ohio State player who played in a conference championship game. (Note: The table only includes players who finished their collegiate careers at Ohio State.)
| PLAYER | POSITION | TEAM | CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP STATS | FULL PLAYOFF STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NICK BOSA | DE | 49ERS | 3 tackles, 2 sacks (13 yards), 4 QB hits | 6 tackles, 2 sacks (13 yards), 9 QB hits |
| TAYLOR DECKER | OT | LIONS | Started at LT | 3 starts at OT |
| J.K. DOBBINS | RB | RAVENS | Injured reserve (Achilles) | |
| MALIK HARRISON | LB | RAVENS | 3 tackles | 8 tackles, 1 FF |
| JONAH JACKSON | OG | LIONS | Inactive | 2 starts at OG |
| JAKE McQUAIDE | LS | LIONS | Played at LS | 3 games played at LS |
| CHASE YOUNG | DE | 49ERS | 3 tackles, 1 TFL | 6 tackles, 1 TFL |
