Chargers DE Joey Bosa says Raiders QB Derek Carr got ‘shook’ under pressure

Chargers DE Joey Bosa: Derek Carr got ‘shook’ under pressure

There is usually a considerable difference between what NFL players think and what they actually say. Like, for instance, if, say a pass rusher *thinks* the opposing quarterback folds up like a cheap tent on the slightest pressure, he would probably not actually say that.

I mean, I guess, unless you’re Joey Bosa and perhaps if you would like your shots delivered without padding.

“We knew once we hit him a few times, he really gets shook,” Bosa said of Derek Carr after the Chargers 28-14 win over the rival Raiders on Monday Night. “And you saw on CC (Christian Covington’s) sack, he was pretty much curling into a ball before we even got back there. Great dude, great player, he’s been having a great year, but we know once you get pressure on him, he kind of shuts down and he’s not as effective with a crowded pocket, so that was the key to it.”

Ouch.

In case you’re wondering, the sack Bosa is talking about is this one:

It came on third and three with the Raiders knocking on the door for a potential game-tying score. Instead, it led to a field goal attempt from 52 yards out that missed wide left.

The Raiders had caught fire on their first two drives of the second half before that. And off the missed opportunity and the field goal miss, the Chargers turned the tables and drove for a score of their own to put the game away. Making that play arguably the biggest of the game.

As to whether Carr was “curling into a ball” before he was sacked, yeah I guess that’s technically true, but Covington is on him quick. He didn’t really have any choice but to brace for impact and try to protect the ball at that point.

Hard to say how much truth there is behind the notion that Carr was shook. That was the fourth time he’d been sacked in the game. The first one was by Bosa who came around the right edge to strip-sack Carr and force a three-and-out. So, certainly, that affords him the right to talk. The second sack came on the next drive, helping lead to the second of three three-and-outs to start the game.

The early pressure may have led the Raiders putting up just 51 net yards in the first half with just one first down. To Carr’s credit, he seemed to shake it off to open the third quarter, leading the team on consecutive touchdown drives. The third sack came two plays before the first touchdown pass.

Also, if you look at what Carr had done in the first three games of this season, he was under pressure a lot behind this young and makeshift offensive line. And still, he stood in the pocket and put up some impressive passing stats, including this one for a number of 20+ passes over the first three games of a season.

Perhaps Bosa was just being brutally honest. Perhaps he was miffed at Carr saying more than once that playing the Chargers in their house is like another home game. Perhaps both.

It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that either the Raiders figure out how to get their offensive line to protect Carr, give them some help, or find out the hard way if the pressure will ultimately shut down what looked like a high-flying offense to lead out the season.

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