SANTA CLARA — Nick Bosa believes the 49ers' defense saw a much different Lamar Jackson on Christmas night.
The Ravens quarterback shredded San Francisco for 252 passing yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for a team-high 45 yards on seven carries in Baltimore's 33-19 win at Levi's Stadium. Bosa, the NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, said Jackson "kind of adjusted how he plays," which was the key to his performance.
"Throughout the year on tape, he was kind of sitting in the pocket and going through his reads in the pocket," Bosa said Monday. "Tonight, he was looking for that escape lane quicker, and then finding guys downfield, which was super impressive that he could kind of change the way he played."
Kyle Shanahan also saw Jackson's adjustment.
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“Yeah, he picks and chooses when to do it and when not to,” the 49ers coach said Tuesday via conference call. "He is very effective in the pocket, and he is obviously extremely scary when he gets out of the pocket. He's probably stayed in there a little bit more this year compared to some in the last years.
"But he definitely has his times in every game where he decides to do what he does. It seemed like he did do that a little bit more last night, which is one of the toughest things about stopping him."
The 49ers very well might face Baltimore again in the Super Bowl if both teams win their respective conferences in the playoffs, and Monday's game could give San Francisco insight into what's needed to win the next time. Bosa definitely will keep it in mind if the teams meet in Las Vegas.
The 49ers' defensive line had done a much better job containing mobile quarterbacks such as the Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts and the Arizona Cardinals' Kyler Murray, but Jackson's escapability proved to be too much Monday.
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"That's something we have to do better on containing him like we have this season with other mobile guys," Bosa said. "Just keeping him in there so he can’t find those guys outside the pocket."
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