Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa committed a costly penalty at a pivotal time during Saturday’s AFC wild-card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But it seems Bosa wasn’t up for talking about the miscue, which went a long way toward the Jaguars completing a 27-point comeback in a 31-30 final verdict.
“I’m not going to speak my mind and get fined more than I already am,” Bosa told reporters in the locker room after the season-ending loss, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.
His frustration apparently boiled over from the field to the locker room.
Following a Jaguars touchdown in which quarterback Trevor Lawrence hit Christian Kirk for a 9-yard score, Bosa removed and slammed his helmet while still walking off the field. After Chargers coach Brandon Staley picked it up and gave it back to Bosa, he threw it down again.
It resulted in Bosa being called for his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of the game, but more importantly, it allowed Jacksonville to attempt a two-point conversion from the LA 1-yard line as opposed to likely kicking an extra point from the usual spot. Lawrence and the Jaguars were successful on the two-point attempt and it cut Jacksonville’s deficit to 30-28 with 5:25 remaining.
Making it to a two-point game proved crucial as the Jaguars then covered 61 yards on their next offensive drive and kicked a game-winning — not game-tying — field goal in the final seconds. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told reporters after the game Jacksonville would not have gone for the two-point attempt if not for the penalty.
Chargers head coach Brandon Staley offered a bit more than Bosa after the loss.
“I think he was frustrated,” Staley told reporters, per the team. “I think he felt like there were a bunch of things that kind of accumulated throughout the game and tried to talk through it with the officials. But we can’t lose our composure like that. We need to make sure that we stay on the high side of things and we can’t hurt the team that way.”
Bosa now will have to wait for his likely fine while reflecting on costing his team in a major spot.
