#los-angeles-chargers

#los-angeles-chargers

"Everybody a little bit more locked in," Harris said. "Everybody's staying a couple more hours after meetings and things like that. Cleaning up things, making sure everything's dotted. That's what comes with playoff football."

Sometimes, the punching bag punches back. That was the case Sunday as the Chargers, playing their backups, put up an impressive fight against the division-rival Denver Broncos, vying for the top seed in the AFC. The Broncos won, 19-3, but both teams were smothering on defense while failing to establish anything close to an offensive rhythm. The seventh-seeded Chargers (11-6) will play a wild-card game at second-seeded New England (14-3), which rolled over Miami, 38-10, in Sunday's finale.

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.

"When I was a young guy," Perryman said, "my head was all over the place - just trying to get the gist of the NFL. They taught me how to be where my mind is."

We as an offensive collective were off today, and certainly he's a component of that," Tomlin said. "I'll let him speak for himself, but we certainly got to be better. Didn't feel like they did anything unanticipated, but certainly they outperformed us, particularly in possession-down play.

The Los Angeles Chargers, dealing with a decimated offensive line, agreed to a deal to acquire Trevor Penning from the New Orleans Saints, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday. The deal, agreed to just before the NFL trade deadline passed at 4 p.m. ET, gives the Chargers some depth in the wake of the season-ending ankle injury to Joe Alt on Sunday. But their offensive line woes don't stop with Alt's absence.

Loud bangs awoke linebacker Daiyan Henley on Saturday morning. Henley thought he had overslept a meeting and rushed to the door of his hotel room. Standing outside was linebacker Denzel Perryman, who told Henley he needed to call his mother. When Henley did, he learned the most harrowing news of his life: his brother, Jabari Henley, was shot and killed the previous night. "Being transparent, I dropped to my knees," Henley said.

Good teams win the games they should win - and the Chargers are out to prove they're a good team. They travel to Tennessee on Sunday to face rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick, who has shown flashes of promise but isn't yet where he wants to be in his career. The Chargers are riding high after an Oct. 23 win over Minnesota that marked the return of outstanding left tackle Joe Alt.