The Los Angeles Chargers just can’t get a break on or off the field. While head coach Jim Harbaugh keeps fighting through an injury wave that’s challenging his roster depth, the NFL has now delivered disciplinary punishment to two Chargers players after last week’s loss to the Washington Commanders.

The Chargers’ defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia and linebacker Marlowe Wax were both fined by the NFL for unnecessary conduct during the week 5 matchup.

Ogbonnia got a $6,554 fine for unnecessary roughness for his move in the fourth quarter against the Commander’s quarterback Jayden Daniels. Although it didn’t affect the consequences, as it was in the fourth quarter, it did prove the issues in the Chargers’ discipline so far this season. Ogbonnia has yet to register a tackle this season.

Meanwhile, Wax was fined $4,672 for roughing the kicker early in the second quarter. He was also penalized for this action. However, the NFL officials felt that this needed a fine as well. It proved to be costly for the Chargers. After Wax hit Washington’s punter, it canceled out a 57-yard punt by WR Ladd McConkey.

Wax joined the Chargers as an undrafted free agent and has contributed a lot to special teams. As of now, he has contributed to six tackles. However, his move against the Commander took the game away from the Chargers.

One of the most serious concerns for the Chargers after the Washington game is the penalties. They had ten penalties vs the Commanders; it was a replay of what happened in their week 4 game vs the Giants that resulted in fourteen penalties. In the week 5 matchup, they turned the ball three times in Washington’s territory but failed to get it through the right personnel.

After the loss,  head coach Jim Harbaugh said, ”We need to get better.” He continued, ”We’re a good football team. We’re not good enough in some of the areas that you need to win in games.” So for their week 6 game, the challenge is huge, to overcome the areas they are not good at.

This is Los Angeles’s consecutive loss. After a wonderful start of 3-0, two back-to-back losses took the momentum away from the Chargers. However, it’s not going to be easy for the head coach as disciplinary issues are not the only trouble for Jim. The growing list of players on IR is a real trouble for the coach and his team.

Jim Harbaugh’s expanding injury worries

Chargers’ troubles are not exclusive to penalties; injuries still ravage their depth. Going into Sunday’s game with the Dolphins, the Chargers made public that defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand has been put on injured reserve (IR) due to a groin injury suffered during the loss to Washington. Hand was left in the first half and didn’t come back.

It’s the fourth hit in recent weeks for a roster that has been decimated. The Chargers now have seven players on designated-to-return IR: Hand, Khalil Mack, CB Deane Leonard, CB Eric Rogers, RB Omarion Hampton, Josh Harris, and LB Denzel Perryman. Three players, LB Junior Colson, RB Najee Harris, and OT Rashawn Slater, are already out for the season.

The team has used seven of its eight designated-to-return IR spots, leaving only one remaining for the rest of the regular season. While there are chances that Perryman and Mack could be available to return soon, the Chargers won’t regain any of their IR designations once players come off the list, meaning roster flexibility will remain limited down the stretch.

The situation has already pushed Harbaugh into making tough personnel choices. Rookie tackle Joe Alt, who is working through a high ankle sprain, was not put on IR to maintain the balance. Likewise, wide receiver Derius Davis is kept on the active roster even though he missed three consecutive weeks of practice.

The Chargers’ attrition through injury, paired with expensive penalties and inconsistent performance, has undone what was shaping up to be a strong beginning to the Harbaugh era.

While the Chargers are set to travel to South Beach and take on Tua Tagovailoa and his explosive Dolphins offense on Sunday, the task is obvious: figure out a method for winning while short-handed and rattled. Harbaugh has made resilience and discipline the focal points of the week’s practice, two areas that his team is desperate to recapture.