The late 2010s Chargers defense, man, that was a ride when Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram III were healthy and on the field together. Now, Pro Football Focus just dropped a bomb, officially naming that duo as one of the top pass-rushing tandems in their platform’s entire history. Talk about a serious throwback!
That 2017 Season Was Absolutely Bonkers
PFF analyst Bradley Locker didn’t mince words, saying that “prior to numerous injuries, Bosa was regularly one of the most dominant edge defenders in the NFL.” That makes their spot on this list an absolute no-brainer, right? Locker went on to highlight just how ridiculous 2017 was for the pair. Each of them landed in the top seven for PFF pass-rush grade and the top eight for pass-rush win rate among eligible defensive linemen. Think about that for a second. By pass-rush grade alone, the Chargers had two of the four best edge rushers in the *entire league* that season. That’s a level of dominance you just don’t see often!
The Raw Numbers Tell The Whole Story
You wanna talk about raw power? In 2017 alone, Bosa was out there racking up 75 pressures and 13 sacks. Ingram? He was right there with him, putting up 76 pressures and 11 sacks himself. That’s a combined 23 sacks in one season, folks! It’s wild to think that PFF analyst Locker pointed out their collective work that year didn’t even get Los Angeles into the playoffs. What a shame, honestly, considering how elite they were.
Over their five years as teammates, Bosa and Ingram combined for 61.5 sacks. That 2017 season was obviously the highlight, but they also teamed up for 18.5 sacks in both 2016 and 2019. Now, 61.5 sacks might seem a little low for five years, and it is, but we gotta remember the context. Ingram laid a goose egg in 2020, and the two of them collectively missed 32 games due to injuries. But hey, even with those setbacks, we’ll always have that insane 2017 season to look back on, right? What a time for Chargers fans, even if it was bittersweet.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bolts from the Blue.
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