LA Chargers: Joey Bosa already earns his extension – Week 1 game grade

The LA Chargers defensive line, led by Joey Bosa, made Joe Burrow’s NFL debut more hectic than he may have liked.

Joe Burrow was sacked three times in his debut against our LA Chargers on Sunday. The defense seemed to constantly be getting in his face and creating pressure, and it was great to see that from a Gus Bradley led defense. Joey Bosa was very likely the player of the game for the Chargers, hopefully using that extension as motivation.

Bosa finished the game with four tackles, one sack, three quarterback hits, and three hurries for seven total pressures. He was really just doing everything we have all come to expect of him and certainly showing his worth throughout the entirety of the game.

Giving Joey Bosa a grade this week is extremely easy. He played A+ football when he was on the field, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Here’s why Joey Bosa getting an A+ was such an easy call to make.

Breaking down Joey Bosa’s A+ grade:

Joey Bosa played like an All-Pro caliber edge rusher on Sunday. He looked completely overwhelming and was too fast and too strong for the Cincinnati offensive line. Wherever he was lined up, you could expect him to have an impact on that side of the field in one way or another.

Watching Bosa’s sack on former Ohio State teammate Joe Burrow, you can see that second to none speed as he blows right past Bengals right tackle Bobby Hart. Hart looked absolutely lost as soon as that ball was snapped, and only two seconds later Burrow was hitting the turf.

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Joey Bosa played a hell of a football game, and if those are the types of performances we’ll be getting week in and week out, a Defensive Player of the Year award could certainly be within reach.

There were no negatives to take away from Bosa nor the defensive line as a whole against Cincinnati. The Bengals came into the game with a banged-up offensive line, and the LA Chargers did everything they could to take advantage and make things difficult for this year’s first overall pick.

Bosa is going to have to keep up the extremely high level of play if the LA Chargers have any hopes of winning their home opener next Sunday against Kansas City. Give Patrick Mahomes the time he needs to throw the ball comfortably, and it will most definitely be quite a long game. Check back next week to see if Bosa can maintain an A average through the first two weeks of the season.