Justin Herbert on the 2022 Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl’s fourth-and-15 rule, his respect for the Raiders and more

The irony wasn’t lost on Justin Herbert. Nearly a month to the day after his and the Chargers’ 2021 season ended in Las Vegas, Herbert was standing alongside Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby as the Offensive and Defensive MVPs of this year’s Pro Bowl.

If Herbert happened to forget where he was, he was reminded by the contingent of Raiders fans who took in the first Pro Bowl played inside Allegiant Stadium. 

“When I was announced as the Offensive MVP, [there were] a lot of boos, so I was reminded very quickly that we were in Vegas,” said Herbert, who was told that the great Kobe Bryant was once booed at an All-Star game in his hometown of Philadelphia after receiving MVP honors. 

“That’s good company,” Herbert said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for that team and especially that city, because they’ve been able to put together some pretty good football.”

Herbert has partnered with Dr. Squatch, a personal care brand that focused on products using natural ingredients. Herbert might want to consider sending some of their products over to Crosby, who can make a quarterback’s life a living nightmare. 

Crosby was just one of the obstacles facing Herbert and his teammates during the Chargers’ regular season finale, a game both teams needed to win to make the playoffs. Down 29-14 late in the game, the Chargers rallied to force overtime behind two touchdown passes from Herbert. The teams then exchanged field goals in overtime before the Raiders won the game on Daniel Carlson’s 47-yard field goal. 

“Maxx is an incredible player,” Herbert said. “He’s done such a great job at disrupting the passer all year. We were able to see that in this Pro Bowl as well. He was a guy who made plays and found a way to get to the passer. But in the same time, during that last game, we had no choice. We had to do out best to come back into it. We were down a couple of scores and we just needed to convert those…