Nick Bosa claims 49ers showed 'blueprint' to stop Jalen Hurts, Eagles

Did the San Francisco 49ers crack the code to stopping the Philadelphia Eagles?

Jalen Hurts & Co. have lost just six times since the start of the 2022 season, including their 38-35 Super Bowl defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in which Hurts scored three touchdowns. Their one loss of the season going into last week was a close game against the Jets in which Philadelphia was missing All-Pro offensive lineman Lane Johnson.

Then the 49ers went into Philadelphia and stomped all over the Eagles in a 42-19 blowout to avenge their defeat in last year's NFC Championship Game.

While the Eagles have looked less dominant in 2023 than they were in 2022, they still found ways to win against quality opponents — until Sunday. And they have another test coming up as they head to Dallas to play the archrival Cowboys.

And 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa thinks his team just gave the Cowboys the keys they needed to shut down Hurts and the loaded Eagles offense.

"You see it on tape," Bosa said Thursday. "Obviously, we put the blueprint out there. Hopefully, the Cowboys watch the tape."

What is that blueprint exactly? Bosa claims it's making Hurts stay in the pocket and taking away the dual-threat Eagles quarterback's ability to take off running up the middle or step up and find one of his receivers for a big gain. Instead, Bosa said, San Francisco forced Hurts to escape to the outside when he does attempt to scramble.

"Jalen's looking at the rush every play," Bosa said. "You just have to be disciplined."

NFL on FOX analyst Greg Olsen, who was on the call for the 49ers' Sunday triumph, believes the Eagles' struggles have to do with the fact that, because their passing attack is not as dominant as last season, they are not forcing defenses to try to stop that approach nor playing with leads as much and, thus, have more difficulty running the ball in those cases.

Whatever the case, the Cowboys will take all the help they can get. Dallas beat Philadelphia at home last year, but that was a 40-34 shootout with then-backup Gardner Minshew starting in place of an injured Hurts for the Eagles. 

This time, with Dallas favored by roughly a field goal, Hurts will be healthy. But it may not matter against his Cowboys counterpart Dak Prescott, who is playing like a potential NFL MVP favorite.

And Bosa will no doubt be rooting for the Cowboys — because another Eagles loss coupled with a 49ers win over the Seattle Seahawks would give San Francisco the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

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