Herbert

Five Chargers were named to the AFC’s Pro Bowl squad Tuesday, including the team’s “quarterbacks” on both sides of the ball.

Both quarterback Justin Herbert and safety Derwin James Jr. received the honor. They are joined by outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu, tackle Joe Alt and kicker Cameron Dicker.

Herbert, receiving Pro Bowl recognition for the second time, is the third player in NFL history to begin a career with six consecutive seasons with at least 3,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns.

James, a five-time Pro Bowl pick, is the only defensive back in the NFL this season to collect at least 80 tackles (five for loss) with multiple sacks and interceptions.

Dicker is the most accurate kicker in NFL history and the team’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year club winner. He leads all AFC kickers with 36 made field goals and 141 points scored.

Tulipulotu, a former USC standout, is ranked third in the NFL with 13 sacks, and has a career-high 20 tackles for loss.

The only surprise in that group is Alt, who made the transition from right to left tackle after left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. Alt was a stalwart on the line for the first three weeks of the season before sustaining an ankle injury 10 snaps into the Week 4 game against the New York Giants. He returned in Week 8 to face Minnesota, but was carted off in Week 9 at Tennessee an injury to the same ankle, this time requiring season-ending surgery.

Nonetheless, he’s an outstanding tackle and earned his first Pro Bowl honor, which is determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches.

Four more Chargers were named Pro Bowl alternates: outside linebacker Khalil Mack, linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips for special teams, cornerback Donte Jackson and fullback/defensive lineman Scott Matlock.

Almost immediately after a thrilling overtime victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, Justin Herbert went in for imaging and X-rays on his ailing left hand.

The Chargers quarterback had passed for 139 yards and ran for 66 more in a 22-19 win just a week after undergoing surgery to stabilize a fracture in his non-throwing hand. Now, after one of the biggest wins of the season, he was hoping to receive good news about his injury despite being sacked a career-worst seven times.

The scans showed his hand was swollen, but it had improved since surgery, Herbert said. The results provided him with a sense of optimism heading into the Chargers’ AFC West showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I think compared to the days after surgery, I think it’s a lot better now,” Herbert said. “I think it was just sore. I think having played on it, using it, and kind of falling on it too, I think that kind of helped, and was some of the reason why it was sore.”

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh described Herbert’s performance against the Eagles as “the most competitive thing” he ever saw. Herbert, however, gave a negative self-assessment — he threw an interception and lost the ball once on two fumbles. For Herbert, it wasn’t good enough for a Chargers team vying to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in more than three decades.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who praised Herbert’s grit after the win over the Eagles, was proud to hear Herbert taking responsibility for his mistakes.

“First of all, I love that,” Roman said. “That tells me everything I need to know about that individual. … A great leader, setting a great example there. But on the flip side, he did what he had to do to win that game. He’s smart enough to recognize that that’s not how he wants to win every game, and he will adjust accordingly.”

Chargers center Bradley Bozeman, who has snapped the ball to Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Bryce Young over his nine-year NFL career, said Herbert is one of one.

“He’s the best quarterback — no shot to any quarterback ever played with — but he’s the best quarterback ever,” said Bozeman, who joined the Chargers before the start of the 2024 season. “He’s committed to what he does. He’s tough as a damn nail.”

That toughness could prove to be too much for the Chiefs. A Chargers (9-4) win on Sunday (in combination with several other factors) could potentially eliminate Kansas City (6-7) from postseason contention for the first time since 2014.

Although the Chargers are trying to sweep the Chiefs for the first time since 2013, safety Derwin James Jr. knows they can’t underestimate a Kansas City team that has won the last nine division crowns. James, second on the Chargers in tackles (70), is expecting all the challenges that come with facing Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium in 20-degree weather.

“Every time you go out there, everybody’s gonna play desperate to win, because they just want to win,” James said. “We’re desperate, they’re desperate — so let’s go out there and play.”