If Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Joey Bosa had his way, he’d have the game of football go back to the more stationary, pocket quarterbacks.
Because the ninth-year veteran is sick of chasing around athletic quarterbacks, making it harder for him to do his job and get home for sacks.
Unfortunately for Bosa, he’ll have to deal with another one of those athletic, fast quarterbacks in Week 3 on Sunday inside Acrisure Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers as Justin Fields is the target.
“He is not small. Me and and K-Mack (Khalil Mack) were laughing earlier in the meetings that we need to go back to pocket passer, standing-in-the-pocket-QB era, ’cause we’re getting sick of chasing these guys all over the place,” Bosa said of Fields and mobile quarterbacks while appearing on the “Green Light Podcast” with former NFL defensive end Chris Long, according to audio via the show. “Kind of feel like a broken record every week. It’s like, ‘What do you need to do?’ And it’s rush the passer, but not let him affect you on his feet, getting outta the pocket, making those crazy throws. He is a great athlete. Like, he is 6-3, 6-4, big dude. So, it’s not like you’re gonna be able to just like, tackle him or slap at his legs and get him down.
“But it’s a big emphasis this week to just focus on rushing together as four or five up front and trying to affect him. Get your hands up, but just trying to keep him in the pocket.”
Fields isn’t a small quarterback, that’s for sure. He’s got a sturdy frame, is well-built and plays like it. Sure, he’s not in the mold of an Anthony Richardson or a Josh Allen, but he’s still strong and is hard to bring down in the pocket, making it quite a challenge for the Chargers’ pass rush, especially after playing one of the smallest QBs in NFL history in Week 2 in Carolina’s Bryce Young.
Bosa isn’t the only one concerned with Fields and trying to keep him hemmed into the pocket. It’s a message that first-year defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has pushed all week, too, calling Fields a “legitimate tailback” with the football in his hands.
Fields has run the ball 22 times this season for just 87 yards, but in Week 2 on the road against the Broncos, he showed what damage he could do if he had to break out of the pocket, ripping off a 16-yard run on the Steelers’ lone touchdown drive of the game.
Trying to keep him in the pocket this week isn’t a new concept whatsoever. It’s how teams have tried to defend Fields throughout his career. More often than not, he burns defenses with his legs, considering he has 2,304 rushing yards in just 42 career games.
It’ll be a tall task for the Chargers in Week 3 at Acrisure Stadium, even with a star-studded pass rush tandem in Bosa and Khalil Mack. It’s hard to be that rush disciplined throughout an entire game, especially when opportunities to rush the quarterback might be limited in the Steelers’ run-heavy approach.
Hopefully Fields is able to force the Chargers’ pass rushers to chase him throughout the game, wearing them down, playing right into the Steelers’ hands offensively, which could lead to a huge win at home.
