Young bubble players bring excitement ... and cringe

Undrafted linebacker Wax impresses against 49ers. Others hang by a thread as cuts loom.

- BY SAM FARMER

GODOFREDO A. VÁSQUEZ Associated Press.

NYHEIM MILLER-HINES (31) fights for yardage and a roster spot as a Chargers backup running back.

Chargers starters watched Saturday night's preseason finale from the sideline in street clothes.

EZRA SHAW Getty Images

NYHEIM MILLER-HINES (31) showed the speed from earlier in his career, before he was set back by injury.

Don’t blame them if they covered their faces and peered between their fingers.

The backups provided some cringeworthy moments in a 30-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers — coach Jim Harbaugh’s old team — making some troubling gaffes in a sloppy second half in Santa Clara. In all, the teams combined for 23 penalties.

"Preseason had been poised and clean, no turnovers the entire time, until tonight," Harbaugh said. "Way too many turnovers, too many penalties. That combination doesn't win football games. Special teams had too many penalties, we lost yardage there.

EAKIN HOWARD Associated Press

RECEIVER Luke Grimm (37), scoring a touchdown Saturday, muffed two punts.

Offense had penalties and turnovers. There was a lot of good, but the big mistakes were too much."

There were some excellent performances (see: Chargers linebacker Marlowe Wax) but a lot of reasons for handwringing when it comes to the back half of the roster, which will be pared down to 53 players by Tuesday.

Some takeaways from the game: Wax makes his roster case With the roster deadline coming Tuesday, the undrafted Wax showed remarkably good timing.