Justin Herbert embraces Jim Harbaugh’s "favorite word" to describe Chargers’ DNA in 2025 NFL season

The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the curtain raiser in Brazil last week. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was one of the standout performers in their season opener.

Herbert is thriving under coach Jim Harbaugh and the Pro Bowl quarterback shared what it was like working with the former Michigan Wolverines coach. In an interaction on "Rearview with Mark Sanchez," Herbert discussed Harbaugh's "favorite word."

"What's your DNA? And I'm guessing I'm going to hear the word stalwart," Sanchez asked.

Herbert responded:

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"That's uh one of coach Harbaugh's favorite words. I think he's just a guy that shows up every day, gives his best effort, and you can count on him. He's gonna be out there through injuries, through adversity. He's going to get his best effort he's a guy that you can count on, for sure."

When asked if Herbert would consider himself a "stalwart," the star quarterback said:

"I would like to be. Um, I think I want to make coach Harbaugh proud and do everything I can to be the leader quarterback that I can be for this team. We've all battled through injuries and adversity, but at the end of the day, you know, having a guy like him leading the charge, um, pun intended, That's awesome."

Jim Harbaugh commended Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's play against Chiefs

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh commended his quarterback's toughness, highlighting a play where Justin Herbert shook off a hit when he was sacked by the Chiefs’ Drue Tranquill.

“That huge hit on Justin, the kind of hit that would have killed a lesser man. That’s how big that hit was. Let’s be honest about that,” Harbaugh said. “And then our guy, Justin Herbert, gets right back in the huddle and it’s third-and-14 and hits Quentin Johnston, which ended up being a half-yard short of the first down that allowed for that fourth down.

"I’ve been telling people Justin’s great, and again, Exhibit whatever it is now, just unbelievable, incredible, the kind of player he is. It’s especially hard, I think — most quarterbacks, most human beings, to take a big hit and then the next play stand in there, look down the barrel of the gun and hit another one. It’s pretty impressive.”

Herbert seemingly outshone Patrick Mahomes in the Week 1 clash and would be looking to build on the performance from the season opener.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Chiefs Fans! Check out the latest Kansas City Chiefs Schedule and dive into the Chiefs Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash