For much of the season, the Los Angeles Chargers looked like one of the most dynamic teams in the NFL. They were the first team to beat the 3-0 Las Vegas Raiders and almost swept the Kansas City Chiefs. All they had to do was beat the Raiders a second time to get into the playoffs.
That didn’t happen as Derek Carr and company beat the Chargers in overtime. While Carr didn’t have the biggest game ever, he made some big throws late in the game to help his team win. After the Chargers beat the Raiders earlier in the season, Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa said the quarterback was “pretty much curling into a ball” when they got pressure on him.
Obviously, those comments didn’t sit well with the Raiders. When the clock was winding down in overtime, Las Vegas could’ve played it safe and accepted a tie that would’ve sent both teams to the playoffs. Instead, the Raiders got into field goal range and sent the Chargers home without a playoff berth. Carr was pressured for much of the game but there was no instance of him folding. NFL Hall of Famer turned Fox Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe took a shot at Bosa after the quarterback’s gutsy performance.
Who’s going to ask Joey Bosa IF* Carr looked scared tonite or went into fetal position?
Unfortunately, Bosa was not made available to the media after the game but he certainly took a beating from fans online.
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Fans Pile on Bosa After Raiders Win
Bosa is one of the least liked players in the Raiders fan base right now. He had a chance to back down from his comments about Carr heading into the matchup and chose not to. For his part, he did get a strip-sack on the quarterback so he didn’t have a bad game. That didn’t stop fans from ripping on him after the game.
Joey Bosa is a great dude, great player, but once you punch him in the mouth, he kind of shuts down & he’s not as effective (2 tkls, 1 sack)…pretty much curls up with pressure of the loss. ⚡️⬇️😂
👀Mad Maxx (6 tkls, 2 sks, 3 TFL) for ref.
Hey Joey, 1, 2, 3, Cancun! 💪🏽☠️☠️
Live look at Justin Herbert, Derwin James, Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen
Joey Bosa can’t shed a block by tight end followed by a nice face plant to end their season lol
Joey Bosa got some explaining to do. #RaiderNation
Bosa has cemented himself as one of the biggest villains to the Raiders fan base so he’s going to be hearing a lot of chirping every time he plays them.
Carr Appeared to Take Pleasure in Sending Chargers Home
Carr played nice all week when asked about Bosa but it’s hard to imagine he wasn’t irked by the comments. The Raiders could’ve easily given the Chargers a gift and brought them along to the playoffs. Instead, they sent them home empty-handed. When Carr called the timeout that stopped the game from being a tie, he gave an epic smirk that will be burned in the minds of Chargers fans everywhere.
Al Michaels: “for a second there
I thought they were gonna let it roll…”
Derek:
There’s no doubt he took pleasure in crushing the Chargers’ playoff dreams. While it was an epic moment for the quarterback, he knows there’s still work to do.
“I just have this weird feeling in my heart like the job is not done,” Carr said Sunday. “Like my favorite player Kobe [Bryant] said, ‘Job is not done.’ It does feel good, it’s exciting, but I don’t set out to just make the playoffs, although it’s been since 2016 and I didn’t even get to play. It feels cool.”
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Shannon Sharpe Puts Joey Bosa on Blast for Derek Carr Criticism