Justin Herbert, several Chargers players, staff stuck in Dallas hotel elevator before game

The Los Angeles Chargers-Dallas Cowboys preseason finale on Saturday in Texas featured both teams going through a pretty tough test to end their respective preseasons.

On Monday, a Cowboys player A hotel room caught fire at the training camp In Oxnard, Calif. around 7:30 p.m. Friday, several Chargers players and staff, including quarterback Justin Herbert, were trapped in an elevator at the team’s hotel, the Westin in downtown Dallas, according to WFAA. Los Angeles released a statement announcing that everyone trapped in the elevator was successfully rescued one by one by Dallas Fire-Rescue.

“At approximately 7:30 p.m. Friday, several players and members of the Chargers traveling party were trapped in a closed elevator at the team hotel,” the Chargers said in a statement. “Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to the incident and subsequently removed everyone one-by-one from the elevator through a ceiling panel to an adjacent elevator. The Los Angeles Chargers thank Dallas Fire-Rescue for their quick response, professionalism and efforts to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Head coach John Harbaugh, who was not in the elevator when it got stuck, commented on the incident and said it could have ended much worse. He said one player in particular showed leadership and kept the rest of the players calm during a tense situation.

“We dodged a bullet,” Harbaugh said, via the team transcript. “I usually look at dodging a bullet in football as avoiding injury. You have to be a master at it. You have to be a master at breaking yourself down. It’s a shared experience that brought them closer together. I just missed being in that elevator. It was like, ‘I wish I was in there with those guys.’ But Justin Herbert was there.”

Harbaugh said several guys were sweating so much they took off their shirts, but Herbert looked noticeably more calm.

“One of the remarkable things that came out of it was, for a young player, ‘Justin Herbert is a leader. He was like a rock. He kept everybody calm,'” Harbaugh said.[Hall of Famer Dan Fouts’ wife] Jerry Fouts told me the same thing, he pulled me aside when he got out, about what a great player Justin was. And everybody kept their composure.”

Harbaugh added, “You get in situations like that, and it’s a test of willpower. I was proud of all those guys and those two ladies that were in that lift. It’s a win. You feel good about yourself. You were challenged. It was a test of willpower, and you pull it down, or pull it in. It was such a camaraderie among that group that’s stronger than ever.”

The head coach then thanked the defense, gave them a “deep, long bow” and called them “incredible.”

The Chargers and Cowboys are set to begin their preseason finale on Saturday at 3 pm CT at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.