Chargers’ Joey Bosa questions Derek Carr’s toughness

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Chargers All-Pro defensive end Joey Bosa took a shot at Raiders quarterback Derek Carr well after the final whistle Monday night.

After the Chargers’ defense sacked Carr four times and handed the Raiders their first loss, 28-14, Bosa piled on in the postgame news conference at SoFi Stadium

“We knew once we hit him a few times, he really gets shook,” Bosa said. “You saw on (Christian Covington’s) sack, he was pretty much curling into a ball before we even got back there. Great dude, great player, 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 the crowded pocket.”

Bosa, who had one sack, was referring to a pivotal play in the fourth quarter when Carr was dropped for a loss of 6 yards on a third-down play with the outcome still hanging in the balance. Daniel Carlson missed a field goal on the next play, setting up the Chargers to put the game away.

A screenshot of Carr protecting his body well before contact from Covington immediately started circulating on social media.

Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow said he was already looking forward to facing the Chargers again Jan. 9 at Allegiant Stadium, and that was before he heard Bosa’s comments.

“We’re excited about the second time around playing them,” Renfrow said. “That’s definitely going to light our fire a little because they’re a really good team. We just like to be competitors, so hopefully we can get a chance to play better.”

The Chargers and Raiders are bitter rivals with a storied history. Bosa’s comments will almost certainly begin a new chapter.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.