Joey Bosa's stunning admission proves Jim Harbaugh has changed Chargers

Chris Roling | Nov 18, 2024

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers put the idea of “Chargering” down for good during Sunday night’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Just ask superstar defender Joey Bosa.

Sure, the team coughed up a 21-point lead out of halftime and nearly let the struggling Bengals steal one in Los Angeles. For many fans, a sense of deja vu was probably settling in—for players, too. 

But it turns out the Jim Harbaugh era really is different. 

Instead of losing in a new spectacular fashion and creating serious questions about the team’s ability to make noise in the playoffs, the defense got a few key stops and Justin Herbert stepped up big on key drives. 

After the game, Bosa told ESPN’s Kris Rhim that a lack of belief and sense the team would mess up close games used to be a problem in the locker room: “It’s been a lot of games through the years where we’ve been put in that position and came up short. So I’m just proud of everybody.”

It’s a notable admission from Bosa, one of the last remaining players from the San Diego days. Sunday night was proof things have changed and undoubtedly a confidence builder against any of these past issues. 

This is especially the case when one considers the talent level of the visiting Bengals offense and the fact Bosa’s defense didn’t even have Khalil Mack on the field.

Moving forward, one could almost expect the Chargers to thrive in critical late-game scenarios, which is quite the testament to Harbaugh’s impact in Year 1.

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