Bosa Praises Bolts Tight Bond Ahead of 2nd Career Playoff Appearance

Jan 12, 2023 at 03:33 PM

Below are three takeaways from Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley, outside linebacker Joey Bosa and linebacker Drue Tranquill from Thursday's media sessions:

Bosa 'more excited' heading into 2nd playoff run

The Chargers took the field for their final practice before Saturday night's playoff game against the Jaguars.

Only six players remain on the current roster that were on the 2018 playoff roster — one of them being Joey Bosa. The outside linebacker will be playing in his third playoff game on Saturday, but as he has mentioned since his return from injury, this time it feels a bit different.

In 2018, he also missed games with a foot injury, but his closeness with the team this year makes him feel more excited for the playoffs this time around.

"Feels like another week," Bosa said. "For me, it's been a pretty short year. It's crazy to think about this is only my second time in the playoffs. Doesn't feel like that but it's the reality. I don't know, I feel like I'm a lot more excited this year.

"Kind of how I talked about coming in after my foot injury, I guess I felt a little separated from the team," Bosa added. "This year, I feel like I'm a lot closer to the guys. I just feel like we're one big unit and I think we're just getting tighter as the year goes on. It's exciting to be able to play a playoff game with your friends and teammates."

The team shares the excitement, as they hope it can bring the best out of them with everyone watching.

"It's a new beginning. It's a chance to prove yourself," Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley said. "You're playing against the best of the best this time of year.

"You really get to show the world what you're about and that level of competition is going to increase, it's going to demand a lot more from you because every play, every possession is at a premium," Staley added. "It brings out the best in your team and we're excited to compete."

The tight bond feeling around the team is something that has been talked about throughout the year, as the group has stuck through the adversity of the season. Even with Bosa missing a large portion of the season, he still felt it.

And when it comes to fellow outside linebacker Khalil Mack, their bond is something Bosa relates to a relationship with another former Chargers defensive lineman.

"I see him in a similar light as I do [former Chargers defensive tackle] Linval [Joseph], he just kind of holds me to a standard," Bosa said. "Khalil doesn't really do it as intentionally as Linval did, but I just have a ton of respect for him. Me personally, I don't want to let him down."

Week 18 in Denver marked Bosa's second game in his return from his groin injury suffered against the Jaguars in Week 3.

It's been a long road to recovery, but Bosa said he felt more comfortable in this game, as he continues to feel stronger with each game, he plays in.

"I'm feeling good," Bosa said. "A little sore obviously, after the game last week but I think it's getting stronger every week.

"I'm feeling good, I'm gaining confidence. I think last week, I had some better rushes than I did the week before," Bosa added. "I felt like I was a little more comfortable."