Joey Bosa Making a Big Impact for the Chargers

San Diego Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa after a safety is called in fourth quarter against Denver Broncos
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After missing the first four weeks of the season, Joey Bosa, the San Diego Chargers prized first round pick, has made his presence felt. Back in August, after he signed his contract, a lot of people doubted that he would be able to make an immediate impact:

I felt that even though he would eventually make an impact, his extended holdout would delay his ability to get into football shape and on the field.

A lot of fans even doubted his ability to make an impact in last night’s Week 6 game against the Broncos.

But since making his NFL debut against the Oakland Raiders in Week 5, Bosa has been quieting doubters and establishing himself as a legitimate game-changing defensive end.

The relentless motor that made Bosa such a productive player at Ohio State was on full display against the Raiders when he got his first career sack. He lined up across from the Raiders’ left tackle and looped around before laying into quarterback Derek Carr on the other side of the right tackle.

Bosa ran that motor just as much on plays where he didn’t get to the quarterback:

Against the Raiders, the No. 3 overall pick played on only 27 snaps, but dominated the Raiders’ offensive line (one of the best in the NFL, by the way) as he piled up 2 sacks, 2 quarterback hurries, 5 combined tackles and 3 tackles for loss. He was rotated in on a limited snap count after missing the first four weeks due to a hamstring injury. It was a limited sample size, but we got a glimpse of what Bosa could do. Despite losing to the Raiders, Chargers fans walked away from Week 5 with hope that Bosa could change the dynamic of the team with his attitude and play.

Bosa’s first official start came against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. We were all anxious to see if he could make a consistent impact for a full game, and if inserting Bosa into the lineup could provide the spark the Chargers needed to overcome their painful 1-4 start to the season. I think it’s safe to say that he proved he could do both.

Check out these highlights from his game against the Broncos:

The Chargers came really close to losing this game in the same disastrous way they lost 4 of their first 5 games. Special teams miscues put the Chargers defense in tough spots, and Joey Bosa played a big role in shutting down the Denver offense when it counted. Bosa’s sound technique and his variety of pass rush moves helped him make this clutch 3rd-and-11 tackle with the Broncos threatening to score in the red zone:

In a game where the Chargers’ defense came up big, Bosa was one of the highest rated defensive players, according to Pro Football Focus:

This was despite injuring his hand on the Broncos’ first drive of the game. He just taped it up and went back in the game.

Bosa’s hustle, technique, physicality, and athleticism jump out at you when you watch the Chargers play. His natural talent and physical tools are hard to miss too. You can’t help but watch number 99. He’s a hard-working, blue collar guy that is consistently around the ball. After a few more weeks of big plays, it’ll be hard to quiet the Defensive Rookie of the Year talk that will undoubtedly start bubbling up.

The former-Ohio State star’s strong play in his first two weeks on the gridiron has a lot of Chargers fans wondering exactly what Ian Rapoport was left wondering after the Chargers pulled off the win against the Broncos.

With Joey Bosa in the lineup and other players like fellow rookie Jatavis Brown playing at a high level, this Chargers defense looks like a play-off ready unit. Now, with the momentum of a big division win, we could see a much different Chargers team over the next 10 games of the season.

(Photo Credit: Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports)

(Photo Credit: Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports)

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