NEWARK, N.J. -- Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram have been harassing quarterbacks all season, and Sunday they will get to work for the second time this season at MetLife Stadium.
The last time they were here, the Los Angeles Chargers sacked Eli Manning five times en route to the team’s first win of the season, a 27-22 Week 5 victory over the New York Giants.
Bosa has 11.5 sacks this season and Ingram has 10 sacks. They are the first pair of Chargers teammates with at least 10 sacks in the same season since Shawne Merriman (17.5) and Shaun Phillips (11.5) in 2006.
Bosa and Ingram hope to have a similar effect on quarterback Bryce Petty, who’s making his second start of the season when the Chargers take on the New York Jets on Sunday.
Petty has played in eight career games with five starts, posting a 1-4 record with four touchdowns and nine interceptions.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Petty’s 20.5 Total QBR is the second lowest of any quarterback with at least 100 action plays since the start of last season.
In a 31-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints last week, Petty finished 21-for-48 (43.8 percent) with 193 passing yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked once, posting a 44.9 passer rating.
“It’s difficult because you don’t have a lot of film to watch,” Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “But I’ve been impressed by his touch. It felt like against the Saints, it was more his first game starting -- let’s get some quick, accurate throws -- and then when they did take some shots, he was very accurate, had very good touch.
"So it feels like it’s a time when they might add a little bit more because they saw him make some of the throws and he’s gaining confidence. It will be interesting to see how much they expand, how much they open it up against us.”
Here are five things to watch for as the Chargers try to stay in the playoff hunt:
Get Melvin Gordon going: The Wisconsin product is 69 yards away from his first 1,000-yard rushing season. Last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, Gordon ran hard, totaling 169 yards from scrimmage. The Chargers need to get Gordon going early.
Take care of the football: After doing a good job of limiting turnovers during the second half of the season, the Chargers turned it over four times against the Chiefs, resulting in 13 points for Kansas City. So the Bolts have to do a better job of ball security and not give the Jets opportunities to stay in the game.
Execute in the kicking game: Nick Rose is the latest person brought in to add stability to the Chargers’ kicking game. The Chargers aren’t asking for a lot here: Just make some kicks inside 40 yards and boot a couple of kickoffs through the end zone.
Stop the run: The Jets will try to run the football in order to protect Petty, so the Chargers have to do a better job up front without the services of middle linebacker Denzel Perryman, who’s out with a hamstring injury. So Hayes Pullard, Jatavis Brown, Korey Toomer and the Bolts’ defensive line must be up to the task.
Create some chunk plays: The Jets have given up 27 passing touchdowns this year, tied for second worst in the NFL. And New York has allowed 53 passing plays of 20 yards or more, also second worst in the NFL. So the Chargers should have some opportunities to create big plays against the Jets' defense.