Nick Bosa

Bosa's body ‘fully adapted to football' after 49ers' post-TNF break

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SANTA CLARA — Defensive end Nick Bosa had little practice time from when he ended his 44-day contract holdout to playing in his first game of the season.

Bosa signed his record-setting contract, then flew cross country with his 49ers teammates to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. He started and played 35 snaps just three days after returning to the team.

Then, Bosa returned to his full workload in the next two games, seeing action in nearly 80 percent of the 49ers’ defensive snaps against the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants.

And after playing last Thursday on a short week, Bosa returned to practice this week feeling like his old self.

When asked how much his body benefited from the extra days off following the short-week game, Bosa answered, “Huge.”

Bosa, last year’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year, picked up his first sack of the season in the 49ers’ 30-12 victory over New York last week.

“I think getting through Thursday for me was big,” he said. “Just getting thrown right into football, I was feeling it. But getting through that and being able to finish out Week 3, I think my body is fully adapted to football now.

“And it’s going to be good from here.”

The 49ers (3-0) return to action on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium.

Bosa said he did not pinpoint his ability to get through the first three games of the season as a goal after signing his five-year, $170 million extension, but now he believes he might have cleared a major physical hurdle.

“Once it (the Thursday night game) came, I was pretty excited to get a little time off,” Bosa said.

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