History could be on the horizon Sunday in Santa Clara with a first-ever Bosa Bowl.
It is, of course, contingent on Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa being healthy enough to play against the San Francisco 49ers and his brother, Nick.
Joey Bosa, who underwent surgery and was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury back in September, is close to returning to practice ahead of a potential first-time meeting opposite his brother on Sunday.
“I just know that he’s back in the building," Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said Wednesday. "It’s good to see him. He’s not there for practice yet. We’ll let you know when he’s going to come back to practice. He is in good spirits. I think that we’re getting closer to that practice point, just don’t know exactly when that is going to be.”
Bosa, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and a four-time Pro Bowler, has been shelved since a Week 3 loss against the Jaguars.
Nick Bosa, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft and a two-time Pro Bowler, has racked up 8.5 sacks in seven games for the Niners.
While Joey must be active for a first-time Bosa-versus-Bosa matchup, if either gets 0.5 sacks on Sunday, the Bosas -- the brothers and father John -- would become the seventh family in NFL history to tally 100 sacks (since sacks became an official statistic in 1982), according to NFL Research. Other families in the triple-digit sack club are the Watts (J.J. and T.J.), the Matthews (Clay Sr., Clay and Casey), the Longs (Howie and Chris), the Randles (John and Ervin) the Jones (Arthur and Chandler) and the Jeffcoats (Jim and Jackson).
Joey Bosa's return is a long-anticipated one for the Chargers (5-3) as they look to stay alive in the AFC West race and in the playoff hunt, but it would be extra special for him to come back with his younger brother and the Niners (4-4) facing him.
"I know that he would love to be out there to compete and give our team a chance to win," Staley said. "There is that brotherly love that, ‘Hey, I’m going against my brother and I want to show the world that I’m one of the best.’ Hopefully, we’ll get that opportunity again for him. I think it’s a cool storyline. They’re both having great careers.”