The Chargers have gotten even thinner along the interior part of the defensive line.
Rookie defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia (patellar tendon) and veteran Christian Covington (pectoral) were ruled out for the season after suffering injuries Sunday night against San Francisco.
Ogbonnia’s injury was initially thought to be a knee issue, as it looked like he had suffered a non-contact injury while defending a goal line run play in the second quarter. Covington injured his pectoral in the fourth quarter.
It’s a big loss for Los Angeles, who had rotated the two players on Sunday after losing Austin Johnson for the season last week against the Falcons.
Ogbonnia had played 46% of the defensive snaps against Atlanta, his second-highest mark of the season, and was in line to play more on Sunday. Covington played 48% of the snaps on Sunday before getting injured after playing 64% against Atlanta last week.
The rookie from UCLA had 14 tackles with a tackle for loss in seven games this season. Covington had 12 tackles with a tackle for loss in four games.
Without Covington or Ogbonnia in the lineup, the Chargers were down to just three defensive linemen against San Francisco: Sebastian Joseph-Day, Morgan Fox, and Breiden Fehoko.
They remain the only three healthy defensive linemen on the roster, with Joe Gaziano and rookie Christopher Hinton on the practice squad.
