LOS ANGELES -- The last time Joey Bosa played in an NFL game, he left the field in heartbreak.
Bosa, the Chargers' Pro Bowl outside linebacker, limped off the field on the fourth play of a Week 11 game last season against the Green Bay Packers, eventually leaving on a medical cart while crying into a towel.
Doctors diagnosed Bosa with a sprained right foot, ending his 2023 season.
Bosa's emotions at that moment were the culmination of frustration he'd had over two seasons where he battled foot, toe and hamstring injuries that limited him to just 14 games and kept him from his previous form. In the offseason, Bosa candidly talked about that moment in Green Bay, admitting that the last two seasons of his career have not gone according to plan. But, Bosa told reporters, he felt the healthiest he'd felt in a "long time."
"Some people have forgotten the player I could be," Bosa said in July. "And I've always enjoyed proving people wrong, whoever that is."
Bosa's performance in the Chargers' 22-10 win over the Raiders was an emphatic reminder of the kind of player he is at his best. He finished with 7 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 sack, and 4 quarterback pressures. After each big play, Bosa ran to the sideline, celebrating and dancing with teammates, a stark contrast from the frustrated and disappointed Bosa who left the field 10 months ago.
"He is that player," coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Saw it in the production, in the tackles, in the hustle. He was great against the run and unblockable in the pass; a huge game."
Fellow pass rusher Khalil Mack agreed, saying that Bosa's energy and effectiveness inspired the rest of the defensive line throughout the game.
"Joey balled, man," Mack told ESPN. "He was all over the place. And being able to feed out that energy and get everybody going, that was huge for us."
Bosa made four Pro Bowls in his first six seasons, signing a five-year, $135 million contract in 2020 that made him the highest-paid defensive player at the time. But Bosa hasn't made a Pro Bowl since 2021. That made him a trade or cut option for Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortiz when they took over the salary cap-strapped Chargers in February.
Instead, Bosa took a pay cut. He has an $8 million guaranteed base salary this season and no guaranteed money in 2025, potentially making this his final season in Los Angeles. Bosa took the cut, he said, in part to play another season with Mack and for a chance to win.
Last season, Bosa watched as Mack had one of the best seasons of his career, finishing with 17 sacks, the fourth-most in the NFL last season. On Sunday, Mack matched Bosa's dominant game with one of his own, finishing with 1.5 sacks, a pass deflection, four quarterback pressures, and a fumble recovery that he almost converted into a touchdown.
On Monday, Harbaugh interrupted a question at his news conference, telling reporters, "I want to talk about Khalil Mack, too."
"[He] had the same type of game: quarterback pressure, sack, really dominant against the run and dominant in the pass [rush]. Just really hard to block him."
The win -- and more importantly, the way the Chargers won -- on Sunday was an encouraging sign for this team. The Chargers had eight one-score losses last year and often got into high-scoring games with teams because of defensive errors. But on Sunday, the Chargers outscored the Raiders 15-3 in the fourth quarter, and their defense held Las Vegas to just 10 points.
The interior defensive line, led by DT Poona Ford, routinely clogged lanes for Raiders rushers, allowing 71 total yards and 3.2 rushing yards per carry. Ford also got the first interception of his career after Mack batted quarterback Gardner Minshew's pass in the air.
Still, Bosa, Mack and the Chargers are shying away from much celebrating after their Week 1 win. They strayed from calling these performances a sign of what's ahead or a culture shift because of how quickly seasons have gone badly for this team in the past.
"You know, we've had a lot of games that are close at the end; we have the lead, and we just don't quite get there," Bosa said. "It's only one week like I said, but just [good] to show that we can do that."