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Bosa knocks ball loose from Heinicke for a turnover (0:24)

Nick Bosa knocked the ball loose from Taylor Heinicke and it was picked up by the 49ers. 0: 24.

9:29 PM ET

In the closing moments of Saturday's game against the Washington Commanders, Kyle Shanahan removed his defensive starters from the game.

The game was over when the Niners had a 17 point lead.

But that kind of advantage is often a pass-rusher's dream, so when he made the move, he already knew what was going to happen. An objection is a good-natured one.

I had to do that for the Niners because he wanted to keep adding up the sacks, but I knew he was going to look at me right away.

Bosa did more than his share in the win. He was at the center of San Francisco's win again, piling up seven tackles, two sacks, a forced fumbled and five pressures. George Kittle said that it was the latest addition to Bosa's case for the league's defensive player of the year.

Kittle said that he thought today was the day that he secured his defensiveMVP. I'm not sure how it does. If you look at what he does every Sunday compared to everyone else in the league, I don't know why he's not in the discussion for the Most Valuable Player. He is an absolute monster. Sacks are earned and deserved. He's doing a great job. He's always great.

Bosa is playing his best football of the season with two games left. He leads the league in sacks and is third in pressures while playing in 14 games. Bosa's 17.5 sacks is a career high for him and tied him with Fred Dean for the second most in franchise history since sacks became an official stat.

The season record for sacks in a season was shared by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan. Bosa would need to get at least six points in the next two games to break the record. Aldon Smith wants to have a franchise record of 19.5 sacks.

Bosa said that he was looking at the 19.5 more than theNFL record.

Bosa entered this year with the belief that there was more he could do, despite his success in the previous season. He credits getting more reps under his belt and an increased focus on film study for taking his game to the next level

Bosa is given the freedom to line up on either side of the defensive alignment by the Niners. He puts together a detailed rush plan for each tackle that he thinks will give him an advantage.

Bosa feels like he has an answer for every type of blocker. It's going well and some better than others.

Warner said that Bosa is playing the best ball of his career.

Warner said it's insane that he's playing at such a high level. "That's a big reason why our defense is going the way it is because we know it takes all 11 to rush and the coverage works together, but knowing that he's on the field and has that chance to get home, you get stickier in coverage and you're He has been playing with his thoughts.

Bosa is aiming for his first All- Pro honor after earning his third Pro Bowl nod. While he says he's more focused on team goals, he also doesn't shy away from the conversation surrounding the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award.

Bosa thought that was a dream. I have been playing this game since I was 7 years old. I've wanted to be in that position for a long time and finally feel like I'm living my dream.