Joey Bosa took another step toward returning to full-force.
The Los Angeles Chargers' pass rusher got through his first game of the 2018 campaign -- a last-second loss to the Denver Broncos -- without ill-effects.
"I felt pretty damn good Sunday]," he said, [via the team's official website. "My conditioning, I was scared to get more than 15 (snaps) from conditioning alone because anybody will tell you, playing football and running drills isn't the same thing. Those long drives in the two-minute, I was gassed for sure, but I felt good. I mean, you're going to be gassed in two-minute when they're sprinting down the field running plays, but at no point was it too much or overwhelming. ...
"It was fun playing, wish we could've got the win of course, but just to be able to get back out there and kind of know that I'm healthy enough to withstand this stuff (was important)."
The Chargers planned to run Bosa only about 15 snaps, but coaches allowed him more reps as the game went on. Per Next Gen Stats, Bosa played 28 snaps in his return after missing the first nine games of the season.
Bosa's return bolsters a defense that lost LB Denzel Perryman and DT Corey Liuget for the season.
The third-year pass rush tallied one tackle and a single QB hit in his return. He didn't look as menacing -- especially chasing down plays from the weak side -- as we've seen him in the past, but that's to be expected when returning from an elongated absence.
Getting through Sunday without too much soreness or re-injury is a great sign that Bosa will be at full-force for the Chargers' stretch run.
"(Now) I know my foot can withstand it," he said. "I know my body can withstand it. I was pretty conditioned out there, so this week will be much more about getting back to my technique and worrying about playing and more of the football aspect of it than the health aspect of it."