Are the 49ers better off sitting Nick Bosa against the Bengals?

Nick Bosa has been a non-participant in practice for the San Francisco 49ers over the last two days. The team seems set on playing him on Sunday, but would they be better off if they sat him to allow him to get healthy?

Nick Bosa has been struggling to shake off the injury bug ever since becoming a San Francisco 49er. Bosa re-injured his sprained ankle Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is why he’s been held out of practice all week. As it currently stands, the 49ers seem poised to roll Bosa out on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, but is that the right call?

What happens if Bosa’s ankle worsens and causes him to miss the season long-term? It makes you think, are the 49ers better off sitting Nick Bosa this Sunday? They might as well play it safe and not suit him up. It’s not like a week two matchup against the Bengals is a must win right now. However, it would not be shocking if the 49ers allow Bosa to suit up. The Bengals were able to keep it a close game against the Seahawks in Seattle.

They're certainly a much more challenging opponent than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and they will be back at home. Kyle Shanahan could view the Bengals as a matchup in which he needs all hands on deck. Yet, I still don't think it's necessary to have Nick Bosa active on Sunday in order to win. Obviously it doesn't make their chances any better, but they still can close out a win in Cincinnati.

So far it looks as if the Bengals will be without star running back Joe Mixon. Giovanni Bernard is a decent fill in, but not having Mixon out there is a blow to that offense. I like the 49ers chances winning this game and if they don't, then it is not a big blow to their season. What would be a big blow is if they lost Nick Bosa for the entire year just because they wanted to win a week two game.

The 49ers need Bosa in the grand scheme of things, not just for the short-term. Sitting Bosa on Sunday would be a case of "better safe than sorry". It's simply not worth the risk. Now I'm not saying the 49ers should be living in constant fear and paranoia of an injury. But this ankle has been an issue for over a month. He wasn't even 100% when he played against the Buccaneers. The risk of him doing more damage to his ankle far outweighs the reward of winning a game in week two.

I want to see Nick Bosa out there because I love watching good football, but I'm sure the 49ers can survive one week without so that he can finally be at 100%. This is a long season so maintaining Bosa's health is crucial. It's why I have been advocating that the 49ers limit his practices for the rest of the year. They don't need him on weekdays, they need him on Sundays. Bosa will likely be a game-time decision for the 49ers on Sunday. Unless he somehow healed incredibly fast, the 49ers should sit Nick Bosa against the Bengals.