INGLEWOOD, Calif. — After drawing an unnecessary roughness call for defending Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert following an illegal hit in Sunday's 26-8 win over the New Orleans Saints, center Bradley Bozeman was celebrated by teammates and awarded a game ball by coach Jim Harbaugh.
Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd twisted Herbert's right ankle and pulled down the QB long after he had thrown the ball to running back J.K.
Dobbins in the second quarter. Bozeman, the only Chargers lineman who saw the interaction, sprinted and pushed Shepherd off of Herbert then continued shoving Shepherd into the ground before Herbert and an official separated them.
Bozeman and Shepherd were both flagged for unnecessary roughness, the first such call of Bozeman's career. «It was probably one of the dirtier plays I've ever seen,» Bozeman said. «You protect your quarterback no matter what.