Chargers' Joey Bosa Fined $55K for Criticism of Officiating, Unnecessary Roughness

The NFL has fined Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa $55,546 for a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties plus public criticism of officials after his team's 31-30 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last Saturday in the AFC Wild Card Round, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The first penalty occurred after Bosa expressed his frustration to referee Shawn Smith about a no-call of a potential hold from Jags offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor.

The second penalty happened after Bosa slammed his helmet down after he felt the referees missed a false start penalty on a play that eventually led to a Christian Kirk touchdown catch, which cut the Charger lead to 30-26.

Bosa made his feelings on the officials abundantly clear one day after the game.

The Chargers led 27-0 in the second quarter before collapsing in the second half en route to the one-point loss.

The second unsportsmanlike penalty proved costly for the Chargers.

Jags head coach Doug Pederson decided to take the penalty on the point-after attempt and go for two after the touchdown.

With the ball now at the 1-yard line, quarterback Trevor Lawrence executed a sneak and reached over the goal line for the score to cut the Bolts' lead to 30-28.

After the Chargers came up empty on their next drive, the Jaguars marched down the field for a Riley Patterson 36-yard field goal to win.

It was a difficult night for the Chargers, who were on the wrong end of the third-biggest comeback in playoff history. Bosa also struggled as well with just one tackle.

However, the four-time Pro Bowler missed most of this season after undergoing surgery to address a core muscle injury. He also told reporters that he was playing on "half a leg."

Bosa ultimately said the loss fell on the Chargers, saying that the teamlost because we f--king blew it in the second half."

Despite the tough ending to the season, the Chargers did finish this year making the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. They have a bright future with a core of stars such as Bosa, Justin Herbert and running back Austin Ekeler, but the question is whether they can finally overcome a history of postseason disappointments to earn their first-ever Super Bowl title.