The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-0, but they’ll be tested this week against the Los Angeles Chargers, who are also undefeated. The Chargers have been similar to the Steelers in that they play physical, tough football. They have a lethal stable of pass rushers led by Joey Bosa. Bosa is one of the NFL’s best edge rushers when healthy, but lately, that’s been a struggle for him. However, it sounds like he’ll be at full strength this week.
“No, definitely not,” Bosa said Wednesday via the team’s YouTube channel when asked if he felt like he was going to be limited against the Steelers. “Knock on metal, everything goes well this week in practice. I plan to have a very long and intense game.”
Bosa has had a tough time staying healthy throughout his career, only playing in two full seasons throughout his nine-year career. He only missed one game in 2021, which was the healthiest he’s been recently. He’s a force on the field, but health has been his biggest question mark.
This year, he’s still dealing with health issues. On the injury report released on Wednesday, Bosa was a limited participant with a hip injury. He’s played in both games this year, and it sounds like this current injury isn’t serious enough to make him concerned about his level of play for this week.
In 95 career games, Bosa has 69 sacks, showing just how much of a disruptor he can be. However, he might be even more lethal this year because Khalil Mack is his partner rushing the passer. Mack has been with the Chargers since 2022, but Bosa has only played in 14 games over those two years, not giving them many opportunities to play together.
Mack had 17 sacks last year and is a former Defensive Player of the Year. He might be 33 years old, but he’s still a threat. If they’re healthy, Bosa and Mack might be the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL. The Steelers’ offensive line has had a tough time keeping a clean pocket this year, so they could seriously struggle against the Chargers’ defense.
We’ll see if Bosa’s practice status improves as the week goes on. He doesn’t sound worried, though, even though he knows this game is probably going to be extremely taxing. These two teams are built similarly and play similar brands of football, so it should be a true battle of wills. Health might be the deciding factor.
