The Bills made a mess of Sunday afternoon and still walked out of the new Highmark Stadium at 3-0.
Buffalo beat the Chargers 17-13 in a game that had plenty of sloppiness on both sides, but especially from the Bills’ offense. Five turnovers, 10 penalties, and a rough stretch of wasted chances should have been enough to sink them. Instead, Josh Allen and the defense kept the Bills alive long enough to survive.
The early tone was ugly. On Buffalo’s first snap from scrimmage, James Cook fumbled the ball away.
Not long after that, Genesis Smith picked off Allen, giving the Chargers an opening they were looking for. Smith struck again on the first play of the second quarter, snagging his second interception of the day while Buffalo was still stuck without a point.
Buffalo eventually found a little rhythm, but even that came with a cost. In the third quarter, Dalton Kincaid took a big hit that jarred the ball loose, and the Chargers recovered the fumble. Then, on the first play of the fourth quarter, a review turned an Allen sack into a fumble, giving him his third turnover of the afternoon.
And still, Los Angeles couldn’t put the game away.
The Chargers had their chances, but they kept letting them slip. Justin Herbert threw an interception of his own, and Los Angeles had to settle for field goals too often. That opened the door for Buffalo to claw back late.
After Allen’s third turnover, Herbert’s interception helped set up a Buffalo touchdown drive. Allen finished it off with a tush-push score, sneaking into the end zone to give the Bills the lead. From there, Harbaugh chose to go for it on 4th & 10 on the next Chargers possession, and the gamble failed with a turnover on downs.
James Cook then delivered the knockout punch, punching in a touchdown that made it a two-score game and effectively ended it. For all the chaos, Buffalo’s defense and a pair of Allen short-yardage scores were enough to keep the Bills unbeaten and hand the Chargers their third loss.
In Other News...
Bills Fans Have Every Reason To Be Furious Over That Flag
Buffalo fans had every right to bristle after Gregory Rousseau was flagged for roughing the passer on a hit against Justin Herbert, because the call landed right in the middle of the NFLs ongoing confusion over what, exactly, the league wants defenders to do. The roughing the passer rule, especially the so-called body weight standard, has been a source of irritation for years, and this one looked like the sort of play that leaves viewers wondering whether the officials are enforcing the rule as written or as interpreted in the moment.
The frustration only grows when a similar situation in another game involving Patrick Mahomes is part of the conversation, because inconsistency is what makes these penalties feel so hard to swallow. For the Bills, the issue is bigger than one flag. It is about a rule that can swing a drive, alter a game plan, and leave a defense feeling as if it is being asked to thread an impossible needle every time it gets near a quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Sit Atop The AFC For One Very Convincing Reason
Three weeks into the NFL season, the AFCs perfect teams are starting to separate, and Buffalo has clearly made the strongest early case. The Bills are one of three undefeated clubs left in the conference, alongside the Raiders and Chiefs, but theyve done enough already to stand above the group in the early pecking order.
What has set Buffalo apart is the way it has handled business on the field, with the performance of key players and the most recent game results giving the Bills the edge in this informal race. Kansas City and Las Vegas are still unbeaten, too, but for now the Bills sit atop the AFC for a reason that goes beyond the standings alone. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Have 48 Hours To Make One Tough Roster Decision
Phidarian Mathis is back on the Bills active roster after serving his suspension, and that return has put Buffalo on a short clock to sort out the numbers. The move gives the team 48 hours to make a matching roster decision, a familiar kind of late-summer bookkeeping that can quickly turn into a meaningful call for a club trying to keep depth intact on both sides of the ball.
The likeliest path appears to involve rookie guard Armaj Reed-Adams landing on injured reserve, which would open the necessary space without forcing Buffalo to part with one of its defensive linemen. DeWayne Carter and Mike Danna remain among the players the team seems inclined to keep in the fold, but until the Bills actually file the corresponding move, the roster picture stays unfinished. [Read more 🡒]