The Bills should have confidence heading into Sunday’s Week 3 matchup with the Chargers. They also should not get too comfortable with the idea that the result is already settled.
That’s the trap in September. In the NFL, the team that looks broken one week can show up looking completely different the next, and the league has a way of humbling anyone who thinks they’ve got it all figured out.
The Chargers arrive in Buffalo at 0-2, and Justin Herbert’s start has been rough by any standard. He has completed 59.3% of his passes, thrown two touchdowns and three interceptions, and taken six sacks. That comes on the heels of another disappointing playoff performance last January.
The concerns go beyond the quarterback, too. Mike McDaniels’ reputation as an offensive mastermind is fading quickly, and it’s fair to question whether Jim Harbaugh, at this point in his career, can still be a Super Bowl-caliber coach.
Still, there are reasons not to write the Chargers off completely. Herbert has the kind of big-time throw talent that can change a game in a hurry.
McDaniels coached a Dolphins team that, despite plenty of talent, saw Tua Tagovailoa lead the NFL in passer rating. Derwin James has been named a first or second team All-Pro six times.
And Harbaugh has won everywhere he’s been, from FCS football to Stanford to Michigan to the 49ers.
Buffalo also has to keep one eye on what comes next. The Patriots are scheduled to come to town in Week 4, which makes this Sunday a potential trap game if the Bills start thinking ahead.
That’s why the better approach is simple: respect the opponent, but don’t overreact to the record. The NFL’s tendency to flip the script is real, and two teams can look nothing like the versions we saw the week before.
Even so, if Buffalo can jump out to a big first-half lead, this does not look like a Chargers team that will bring the kind of fight Detroit showed in Week 2.
In Other News...
Bills Just Let A Divisional Rival Take This Low-Risk QB Chance
Will Levis has landed in an AFC East neighborhood the Bills know well, signing with the Jets practice squad after Tennessee moved on from him and he cleared waivers. It is a low-risk shot for New York on a quarterback who was once a starter in Tennessee and still has enough draft pedigree to make the move notable, even if the path to real playing time is anything but clear.
For Buffalo, the immediate concern is not that Levis is suddenly a direct threat, but that a division rival is stockpiling another arm with starting experience. Levis opened 21 games for the Titans before last season vanished because of a shoulder injury, and now the Bills will have to track whether the Jets decide there is more upside here than just a practice-squad flyer. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allens New Bills Drop Means More Than Just Another Collectible
A new Josh Allen collectible hat has become the latest entry in the Bills Billustration collection, but this one carries a meaning beyond the usual fan grab. The design features artwork created by Mason, a patient at Golisano Childrens Hospital, and the hat is available in both adult and youth sizes as part of a release tied to the teams ongoing community effort.
The sale also continues to support the Patricia Allen Fund, which helps patients and families at Golisano Childrens Hospital of Buffalo, giving the drop a charitable purpose that fits the spirit of the project. It follows another well-received release in the same collection, this one built around artwork from Jack, and shows how the Bills keep finding ways to turn a collectible into something more personal for their fan base. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Face A Brutal Test In A Game That Could Get Wild
The Bills have opened 2-0 with a burst of offense that has them looking every bit like a contender, topping 36 points in each of their first two games while Josh Allen has already pushed himself into the NFL MVP conversation. Allen has been piling up both passing and rushing production without turning the ball over, and Buffalo has needed every bit of it because the defense has been leaky, giving up 31 points in each game and sitting near the bottom of the league in opponent EPA per play.
The Chargers arrive in an even rougher spot at 0-2, with both losses coming at home and plenty of concern about how theyll keep pace if this game becomes a track meet. Buffalos offense can make almost any matchup feel dangerous, but the bigger question is whether a defense that has struggled this much can avoid turning a promising start into something more stressful than it should be. [Read more 🡒]