COSTA MESA, Calif. -- It’s something you normally do not see after an NFL game.
But Los Angeles Chargers Joey Bosa is different. After Saturday’s 30-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Bosa got together with Kansas City edge rusher Tamba Hali, and the two worked on pass rush moves for a few minutes before taking a picture together and heading back to the locker room.
Awesome moment.@TambaHali91 giving @jbbigbear pass rushing tips after the game. 💯 #FootballIsFamily pic.twitter.com/iam0d5RfLM
— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2017
Hali and Bosa worked out together during the offseason and shared the same defensive line coach in college. Larry Johnson served as Hali’s position coach at Penn State and later worked with Bosa in the same job at Ohio State.
"He just originally set in my mind what I needed to be able to do to be a good pass-rusher -- specific moves, how to get my head turned around and just how to use my hands,” Bosa said of working with Johnson earlier this year. “He focused on specific drills like flipping the bags around and always using my hands. I call them [little bags] hand crayons because they look like little Crayolas. They’re little pads and you just work hand flex and a bunch of other little drills. It’s taken years, years and years, and it’s still not even close to where I want to be.”
Heading into the 2016 draft, Bosa said that Hali was a player he tried to emulate. The Chargers drafted Bosa with the No. 3 pick.
“I like watching Tamba Hali,” Bosa said at the NFL scouting combine in February 2016. “He’s one of coach Johnson’s guys, so when I watch him I pretty much see the prototype Coach Johnson, exactly what he coaches. So he’s fun to watch.”
Bosa finished with four tackles against the Chiefs but no sacks. For the season, Bosa has 11.5 sacks on the year -- good enough for No. 5 in the NFL.
Melvin Ingram recorded his 10th sack of the season against the Chiefs over the weekend. So now Bosa and Ingram are the first Chargers duo to register double-digit sacks in the same season since Shawne Merriman (17.5 sacks) and Shaun Phillips (11.5 sacks) accomplished the same feat in 2006.
Here’s the Week 15 snap counts for the Chargers against the Chiefs.
OFFENSE (Based on 64 snaps)
Quarterback -- Philip Rivers 64.
Running back -- Melvin Gordon 53, Austin Ekeler 10, Derek Watt 3, Branden Oliver 2.
Wide receiver -- Tyrell Williams 53, Keenan Allen 47, Travis Benjamin 36, Mike Williams 30.
Tight end -- Hunter Henry 38, Antonio Gates 22, Sean McGrath 13, Jeff Cumberland 13.
Offensive line -- Kenny Wiggins 64, Dan Feeney 64, Spencer Pulley 64, Joe Barksdale 42, Russell Okung 39, Sam Tevi 24, Michael Schofield 23.
Offensive analysis -- Gordon finished with a career-high 91 yards receiving yards against the Chiefs, and with 931 rushing yards, the Wisconsin product is 69 yards away from a 1,000 yards. ... Gordon (2,569) passed Dickie Post (2.519) for No. 9 in rushing yards in Chargers history. ... The Chargers finished just 4 of 11 (36 percent) on third-down against the Chiefs. ... According to ESPN Stats & Information, Gordon is No. 2 in the NFL in yards from shotgun formation with 520.
DEFENSE (Based on 66 snaps)
Line -- Ingram 61, Bosa 58, Darius Philon 35, Brandon Mebane 33, Damion Square 23, Corey Liuget 22, Tenny Palepoi 19, Chris McCain 11.
Linebacker -- Jatavis Brown 33, Denzel Perryman 23, Hayes Pullard 15, Kyle Emanuel 5, Korey Toomer 2.
Secondary -- Tre Boston 66, Trevor Williams 66, Jahleel Addae 66, Casey Hayward 66, Desmond King 61, Adrian Phillips 52, Rayshawn Jenkins 7.
Defensive analysis -- According to ESPN Stats & Information, 133 of Kansas City running back Kareem Hunt's 155 rushing yards came from in-between the tackles against the Chargers’ defense. ... The Chargers failed to create a turnover on defense for the first time in five games. ...The Chiefs held a 33:21 to 26:39 edge in time of possession over the Chargers.