Chargers’ Joey Bosa expects better performance after food poisoning

COSTA MESA — Joey Bosa had more on his mind than his three-month layoff following groin surgery when he took the field Sunday. He revealed Thursday he suffered a case of food poisoning Saturday, the day before the Chargers faced the Rams, after a seafood dinner his girlfriend had prepared.

“It was a crappy luck, pun intended, for my first game back,” Bosa said. “I feel fine now. My girlfriend is not going to be my chef ever again. It was good other than that. Got a win. Got out feeling good. Got a decent amount of reps in. I was really just focused on getting through the game.

“There was a lot going on in my head that day.”

Bosa returned to his spot as one of the Chargers’ edge rushers and played roughly half of the defensive snaps in their 31-10 victory over the Rams, a welcome addition to a defense that appears to be peaking at just the right time, with the regular-season finale Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

In addition to Bosa, the playoff-bound Chargers also expect to have safety Derwin James Jr. back in their starting lineup in Denver after he sat out Sunday’s win over the Rams because of a concussion. James said he was “100 percent, I’ve been 100 percent.”

James was ruled out after a helmet-to-helmet collision with Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin caused both players to be examined for concussion symptoms. James was ejected from the game for the hit and the NFL later fined him $25,462, after reportedly there was discussion of a suspension.

Bosa was injured on a routine-looking play late in the first quarter of the Chargers’ 38-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 25, underwent surgery and was sidelined for the next 12 games. He returned to a team that had clinched a playoff berth and was seeking a higher seeding.

When Bosa was hurt, it seemed as if the Chargers’ season had taken a decided turn for the worse. They were 1-2 after losing to the Jaguars and facing the prospect that one of their top defensive players would be lost to them for three months. Somehow, some way, they weathered the storm.

The Chargers’ 20-3 victory Dec. 26 over the Colts enabled them to clinch their first AFC playoff berth since the 2018 season. Their victory this past Sunday over the Rams, coupled with the Baltimore Ravens’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, vaulted them into the fifth-seeded position.

A victory over the Broncos on Sunday in Denver or a Ravens loss to the Cincinnati Bengals would clinch fifth for the Chargers.

“It’s hard to judge because you’re coming into a game with hardly any fuel in you,” Bosa said when asked for an evaluation of his play Sunday against the Rams. “The legs kind of feel tired. It’s kind of hard to judge, but I think I’ll get a better picture of it this weekend (against the Broncos).”

JAMES DEFENDS PLAY

In his first public comments since his ejection from the game against the Colts, James said he intended to turn his shoulder into Dulin and crack him in his shoulder after a catch along the sideline. James said he instead struck Dulin with his facemask and believed a penalty was warranted.

“I was kind of surprised I was ejected,” James said. “I’m not a dirty player. You look at how I play every week, I’m not out to hurt nobody. I don’t play the game that way. I wasn’t taught the game that way. I’m just trying to play fast, aggressive, for my team and make a play. Unfortunately that happened in the Colts game. I’m not trying to play dirty, and the guys know that.”

James said he didn’t wish to be a “rules expert or a referee.”

“My job is to play football and to play fast and to make plays,” he said. “I’m going to continue to play. Hopefully, we get the rules and everything to where it benefits the players and the coaches and the media, too. I’m just going to do my job, man. I can’t worry about (what warrants an ejection).”

SOGGY FIELD

The Chargers called off their regularly scheduled practice at Hoag Performance Center in Costa Mesa because their field was too water-logged after Thursday morning’s rainstorm.

As a result, their injury report featured some guesswork. Fullback Zander Horvath (sprained ankle) and right tackle Trey Pipkins III (sprained knee) were listed as limited participants.