On Friday, LA Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa was taken off of the gameday injury report for the first time since returning to play in Week 8. He also logged full participation in Friday's practice, which hadn't happened since September 20. Nearly two months since then, Bosa may finally be turning a corner.
Bosa spoke to the media at his locker on how much he expects to play in Sunday's game. Asked by The Athletic's Daniel Popper about recent limited snap counts, the Chargers' star EDGE rusher said this:
"The 20 snaps, they could've been 25 or 30. But luckily we've has a good lead going into the 4th quarter," Bosa explained. "Kinda have had the luxury of being able to rest that time. I don't feel like I need to get out there and get a few more pass rush attempts when I'm trying to come back from this injury.
"Based on my reps this week which have been bumped up, and kinda all my volume, lifting, and all the things I'm doing running wise, we're definitely thinking of 30, 30+ snaps depending on how the game goes of course. You know, the less plays I need to play, the better it is for our team *laughs*. So I think just being smart, communicating how I'm feeling, but yeah I definitely feel like we can bump it up."
Joey Bosa's snap count may be much higher in Chargers-Bengals
Bosa potentially being able to play more snaps is exactly what the Chargers need. As of now, Khalil Mack is questionable on the injury report after not practicing this week. Mack played just four snaps last week vs. Tennessee. Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree essentially took over as the starting tandem as the Chargers were able to generate a good amount of pass rush pressure in their win over the Titans.
Mack mentioned this week that he's been dealing with an injury in both groins since the Cleveland game that he then reaggravated in his right groin last week. However, he had a rather colorful response when asked if he was going to sit out for more time to allow his injury to fully heal:
#Chargers OLB Khalil Mack was asked if he’s considered sitting out a game in order to fully heal his groin injury.
— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) November 14, 2024
Khalil laughed and said:
“Hell no.”
Going back to Bosa, he mentioned that he feels a lot less discomfort in his affected leg compared to when he first returned to play:
"The discomfort getting moving, getting warmed up has definitely decreased. My strength is getting better which is really the main thing with being able to stop and start with this leg, which early on I felt like when I had weight on this leg or pressure from an O-lineman, it was tough. So that's improving a lot."
The Bengals' offense currently ranked 26th in pass block win rate and 31st in run block win rate. Perhaps the Chargers won't need their full artillery of EDGE rushers 100% good to go for this game, but it stands to reason that Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack will have to be healthier down the stretch of the season.
Cincinnati and Los Angeles will face off in a crucial AFC wild card positioning battle at SoFi Stadium tomorrow evening.