Earlier this season, Chargers star edge rusher Joey Bosa caused a stir when he said Raiders quarterback Derek Carr “kind of shuts down” once a team gets pressure on him.
Los Angeles had sacked Carr four times in a 28-14 victory back in Week Four.
Carr responded by admitting Bosa’s comments “did piss me off,” while noting that Las Vegas would see L.A. again later in the season.
That time has come, as the Raiders and Chargers will take the field for the final regular-season game of 2021 on Sunday Night Football — a contest that’s likely going to be a play-in game for the postseason.
In discussing his previous comments on Thursday, Bosa complimented Carr, calling him one of the NFL’s best.
“I’m a fan of him. I think we get along,” Bosa said, via Gilbert Manzano of the Southern California News Group. “I was just pointing out something that I noticed. When he gets pressured, he seems to shut down a little bit. Seems like a lot of quarterbacks do that. … He’s one of the top passers in the league.”
Bosa’s right in that one of the best ways to shut down a quarterback is to pressure him — that’s why players like Bosa get paid so much money.
And Carr mostly dismissed the talk of some big rivalry with Bosa when he spoke to the media this week.
“I think the world of Joey,” Carr said in his Wednesday press conference. “I think the part we missed, he said I was a great player and a great dude. I think we should talk about that stuff instead of the negative stuff because I think the world of him. I wish him the best always, except this week, that’s for sure. I think he’s a good dude, good player. But honestly, that stuff is so old, and I’ve been just through too much to even care, to be honest. Let alone in my career, just even this year.”
So it seems like there’s no long-term beef between the two players. But the longtime Raider and longtime Charger will still get after one another to make it to the playoffs on Sunday.