SANTA CLARA – The 49ers will have their best pass rusher tonight when they take on the Los Angeles Rams.

Nick Bosa is expected to play, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Bosa hasn’t played since Week 11, when he injured his hip/oblique arm in the second half of the 49ers’ 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. A few weeks earlier, he injured his other oblique arm during practice, so he hasn’t been fully healthy since the 49ers’ bye week.

Bosa’s return comes at the perfect time.

The 49ers have a game to win tonight that they probably couldn’t win without him. They face Matthew Stafford, an elite quarterback who can make throws that Brock Purdy can’t. To beat Stafford, the 49ers will have to pressure him, especially in the middle because he likes to move up in the pocket.

When the 49ers lost to the Rams in Week 3, Bosa played but did not sack Stafford. As a result, the Rams scored 27 points without Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua and the 49ers lost. Now both Kupp and Nacua are healthy. That means the 49ers will need the best game of the season from Bosa, their highest-paid player.

In addition to Bosa, the 49ers will have linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga, two defensive linemen who did not play against the Rams earlier this season. Maybe these two will be the difference and add a spark to a defense that was torn apart by Stafford just a few months ago.

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