San Francisco 49ers’ Chase Young #92 is congratulated by Nick Bosa #97 after his sack of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 in the first quarter of their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. Credit: Jane Tyska | Bay Area News Group (via TNS)

Defense wins championships. It may be that timeless truth that makes Chase Young and Nick Bosa Super Bowl champions come Sunday night. 

One of the most crushing blows to the Ohio State ego was Bosa’s season-ending ACL injury in September 2018, which kept him sidelined just as Young began to hit his stride. When Bosa left for the NFL draft at the end of that 2018-19 season, all hope of seeing the dominant defensive duo seemed dashed. 

The pair would have likely been a special combination the following season, when each rose, meteorically, to the top of his respective league. Bosa nabbed the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year nod after going second overall in the draft to the 49ers. 

Not to be outdone, Young recorded 16.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in scarlet and gray that same fall, earning himself a unanimous All-American appointment and Heisman finalist honors. And, with nowhere to go but up, Young followed Bosa’s footsteps in 2020, too, also going second overall and earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors for his performance on the Washington Commanders. 

This year, the slope of those parallel lines shifted, their unforeseen intersection arising in the thick of November football, with a trade that sent Young to the 49ers to be reunited with Bosa once again, fulfilling Ohio State’s lost 2018-19 defensive dreams. The reckoning of the pass-rush reality is valuable for reasons far beyond any sentiment it might invoke in the hearts of the Buckeye faithful.  

Bosa is as cerebral as he is savage, recognizing in-game offensive patterns and exploiting those details to his advantage. Any offensive lineman with a tell has been a victim of that reality. 

Like last year, when Bosa led the 49ers to a division-clinching victory against the Seahawks. 

Face to face against then-rookie Charles Cross, Bosa’s first-half observations allowed him to blow up plays in the second before the ball even left the center’s hands. When Cross’ feet were wide and his stance open, Bosa foresaw the aggressive pass protection before it came, side-swiping Cross as he approached, and whizzing past him into the pocket. When Cross’ feet were staggered and his stance narrow, Bosa knew it was an angled approach, using a hesitation step to cut opposite once Cross bit, hurtling towards Geno Smith with breakneck speed. 

Bosa’s hands are as valuable as those of any receiver. In one fluid motion, he can sideswipe a lineman shove, sidling seamlessly past a push. Bursting past all-pro tackles and guards like they’re no more mobile than blocking sleds, Bosa’s ability to pressure inside the tackle box threatens the viability of an offense regardless of the scheme designed. 

Two weeks ago, with eight pressures and two sacks, Bosa’s play in the 49ers’ comeback victory against the Lions is what made Sunday’s game possible.

Young’s ability to pressure with presence alone is not far behind. If Bosa makes linemen look like stationary sleds, Young reduces them to bop bags, the line of scrimmage impenetrable for any 300-odd-pound lineman lucky enough to catch a one-on-one matchup against him. 

Young’s intellect parallels Bosa’s, and his understanding of the defensive unit’s collective action is exceptional. Even when he’s not making the tackle himself, Young slips through offensive holes to punish any tight end or running back who seeks to stop him, crippling play calls, no matter how clever. 

Having both been developed by Larry Johnson at Ohio State, some of Young and Bosa’s most noteworthy strengths are the same.

Both guys line up in their three-point stance, spring-loaded like track runners in the blocks, exploding off the back foot without a stutter step. Bounding up quickly, both Bosa and Young can close the gap in two or three steps, reaching the offensive line without the split-second delay that a backward, hesitation shift causes after the snap. 

That split-second advantage makes them two of the fastest guys off the defensive line in professional football. 

So too can both of the ends move faster laterally than most can straight ahead. Rather than sprinting past offensive linemen to beat them around the outside, Young and Bosa each meet their opponents and cut parallel on the closest angle possible, moving toward the quarterback or ball carrier faster than a typical pass rusher can. Positioning hips and knees towards the ultimate target of their tackles, neither Bosa nor Young wastes a step in their relentless pursuit of the pass rush. 

So too does the approach both make it harder for either guy to be pushed back over the top of the play, allowing them to contribute significantly to the defense’s success, even if they’re not the ones to make the sack or tackle. 

In the Super Bowl, each detail is determinative, one play igniting or dulling a momentum swing. Against a Chiefs offense that can extend plays almost interminably, it is difficult to understate the import of those split-second advantages. 

But with a pair of breathtaking Buckeyes in their front four, I like the 49ers’ odds.