The San Francisco 49ers got off to a roaring start against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card round. After scoring on their opening drive, the Niners jumped out to a 16-7 lead before the half. Unfortunately, their lead didn't come without a concerning loss of a key player. Star defensive back Nick Bosa exited the field before halftime after taking a hard hit to his head/neck area. Per Jon Machota, Bosa was seen heading to the locker room prior to the halftime whistle.

https://twitter.com/jonmachota/status/1482850289505943552

During the play in which Bosa sustained the injury, he actually makes contact with his own teammate. Bosa took a hard fall into the side of his teammate DJ Jones, which resulted in him falling awkwardly to the floor. Rather than spend the rest of the half being examined on the sideline, Bosa was seen headed to the locker room early in order to get a head start on testing and potential treatment.

Ian Rapoport reported early in the second half that Bosa had been ruled out due to a concussion, a huge blow for San Francisco's defense as they try to hold off the high-octane Cowboys' offense.

The loss of Bosa will prove costly to a Niners team that is hoping to maintain its lead over the Cowboys. Bosa just wrapped up a Pro-Bowl caliber regular season for the 49ers, recording 52 tackles, 21 tackle for loss, 32 QB hits, four forced fumbles, and 15.5 sacks.

Unfortunately, the Niners will have to go the rest of the way without their star D-lineman, and if they are able to hold on for the win, his status for the rest of the playoffs will surely be in jeopardy.