SAN DIEGO -- Joey Bosa lost a total of four games during his three years at Ohio State.
The rookie defensive end already has lost seven games in his first season with the San Diego Chargers, with the team at 5-7 with four games left in the 2016 campaign.
That’s the harsh reality of playing in the NFL -- winning games is hard, and even more so on a San Diego team that has found inventive ways to lose for the second straight season.
“It sucks,” a frustrated Bosa said after last weekend’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “Losing sucks. Hopefully we can turn it around next week.”
Bosa managed to record San Diego’s only sack of the game against slithery Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston, and has 5.5 sacks in eight games played on the year.
He’s participated in 358 defensive snaps this season, averaging about 45 snaps a game, as defensive coordinator John Pagano continues to use Bosa all along the San Diego front.
Bosa is tied for third with former Ohio State teammate and current Tampa Bay edge rusher Noah Spence among rookie sack leaders. Leonard Floyd of the Chicago Bears is the leader with seven sacks, followed by Yannick Ngakoue of the Jacksonville Jaguars with six.
“It was really tough, obviously anyone who watched could see that,” Bosa said, when asked about corralling the elusive Winston. “That was an emphasis all week and we didn’t execute.”
Bosa has been used mainly as a defensive end in a three-down or four-down alignment, but also has seen a handful of snaps inside as a defensive tackle and standing up as an outside linebacker.
Among the Chargers, Bosa is second behind Melvin Ingram (6) in sacks and second in pressures with 29. He got his left knee dinged against the Bucs but stayed in the game. Bosa was listed as a full participant on San Diego’s injury report Wednesday.
While Bosa, who missed the first four games of the regular season with a hamstring issue, has exceeded expectations on the field, his impressive performances have not always led to wins, as they did at Ohio State in college.
“You can’t expect to win games when you throw them away like that,” Bosa said after San Diego’s latest loss. “On both sides of the ball we didn’t make plays when we had to.”
While frustrated, Bosa said he believes the Chargers can turn things around in the final four games.
He’ll continue to come to Chargers Park early and stay late with the hopes that the team can figure things out, starting on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
“I think we’re a good team,” Bosa said. “And we’ll come into work ready to go on the road and get a win next week. I think we’re better than what we showed [Sunday].”
Here’s a closer look at the snap counts for the Chargers in their 28-21 loss to Tampa Bay in Week 13:
OFFENSE (Based on 55 snaps)
Quarterback -- Philip Rivers 55.
Running back -- Melvin Gordon 49, Kenneth Farrow 6, Derek Watt 5.
Wide receiver -- Dontrelle Inman 53, Tyrell Williams 53, Travis Benjamin 43, Jeremy Butler 2.
Tight end -- Antonio Gates 33, Hunter Henry 24, Sean McGrath 6.
Line -- Matt Slauson 55, King Dunlap 55, Orlando Franklin 55, Joe Barksdale 55, D.J. Fluker 52, Spencer Pulley 3, Kenny Wiggins 1.
Analysis -- Rivers passed for 225 yards against Tampa Bay, raising his career total to 44,800 and moving past Drew Bledsoe (44,611) into 12th place all time in the NFL. ... Slauson hit a milestone against the Bucs, playing in his 100th career game. ... Eleven of the San Diego’s 12 games this season have been decided by eight points or less, tied with Detroit for most in the NFL.
DEFENSE (Based on 65 snaps)
Line -- Corey Liuget 54, Joey Bosa 49, Damion Square 44, Tenny Palepoi 18, Darius Philon 12, Ryan Carrethers 10.
Linebacker -- Korey Toomer 62, Denzel Perryman 60, Melvin Ingram 57, Kyle Emanuel 36, Chris Landrum 7, Tourek Williams 6.
Secondary -- Craig Mager 65, Jahleel Addae 65, Casey Hayward 64, Adrian Phillips 56, Trevor Williams 37, Dwight Lowery 13.
Analysis -- Hayward recorded his seventh interception of the season against Tampa Bay, a career high. It equals the most by a Chargers defender since Eric Weddle finished with seven in 2011. The franchise record is 10, set by Antonio Cromartie in 2007. Hayward has a pick in four of the Chargers’ last five games. ... The Chargers held the Buccaneers to 81 yards rushing and have held nine of their 12 opponents this season to less than 100 yards on the ground. The Chargers have not allowed a player to rush for 100 yards this season.
