One of the storylines coming into Sunday's Bucs-49ers game revolved around the history that Baker Mayfield and Nick Bosa have with each other.
The feud that was being advertised all week went back to their days at college, when Baker led his Oklahoma Sooners into Columbus and upset Bosa's Ohio State Buckeyes. It was more than just the victory, though, as Baker infamously planted a Sooners flag at midfield right smack dab in the center of the Buckeyes logo.
Logos in sports are sacred, and this was about as sacreligious as it gets. A cackling, fiery Baker planting his flag at midfield is a lasting image of his legacy at Oklahoma, and is something that has been stuck in Bosa's craw ever since.
It came up more than a few times this week, as did the fact that Bosa has been chasing revenge throughout their NFL careers. The rematch on Sunday featured Baker getting a block on Bosa early in the game and then celebrating it like he had just scored a touchdown, but the 49ers defensive end got the last word later in the game.
Nick Bosa told Baker Mayfield to stop complaining after missed penalty
After a fourth quarter interception and what appeared to be a clear roughing penalty that was missed, Baker was complaining to officials when Bosa came running over. FOX camera caught the moment and it looked like Bosa was consoling Baker, but we all should have known better than that.
Nick Bosa had some words for Baker Mayfield after a backbreaking INT. pic.twitter.com/532YN4E0FL
— The Pewter Plank (@ThePewterPlank) November 19, 2023
Bosa spoke with the media and was asked about what he said to Baker when he ran over to him. He didn't console him, rather he was condescendingly telling him to stop complaining because horse-collar tackles don't get called while the quarterback is still in the pocket.
Did Nick Bosa console Baker Mayfield after his interception?
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 20, 2023
"No, he was b----ing to the ref." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/omv0jWBlpu
What did Nick Bosa run up and tell Baker Mayfield after the INT?
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) November 20, 2023
"He was bitching to the ref. I told him there was no horse collar in the pocket."
We should have expected as much.
The thing is, though, Bosa admits to committing the penalty and getting away with it. Why would he come over to Baker and say that horse-collar tackles don't get called instead of saying that he didn't tackle him that way in the first place?
It's weird to get defensive in the way Bosa did when there was a much smarter way to have tried to prove his innocence. Perhaps it's because he was simply trying to twist the knofe once last time as the Bucs ran out of chances to get back into the game.
Bosa was initially asked about the block Baker got on him earlier in the game. He played it off with a monotone joke but it seems that little moment set him off in a big way as he didn't forget about it when given a chance to get the last laugh on Baker.
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