The Los Angeles Chargers had Buffalo right where they wanted it early Sunday afternoon, then watched the game slip away in a 24-16 loss that dropped them to 0-3.
It started with a jolt. On the Bills’ first offensive snap, Josh Allen handed to James Cook, and Justin Eboigbe knocked the ball loose.
Eboigbe recovered it, giving Los Angeles a short field and an early chance to strike. Justin Herbert and the Chargers made good on it, moving into the red zone before Keaton Mitchell came in motion on third-and-goal from the 1 and caught Herbert’s pass across the formation for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
From there, the first half turned into a turnover-heavy tug of war. Both teams punted once, and the defenses kept forcing offenses into bad spots.
Then rookie safety Genesis Smith changed the game for a stretch, intercepting Allen once on a drive that had some life and then picking him off again on a deep throw with a spectacular catch. Los Angeles cashed in only once, settling for a 31-yard Cameron Dicker field goal to go up 10-0, before Dicker later missed from 45 yards and left points on the board.
Buffalo finally settled in. Tyler Bass put the Bills on the board with a 28-yard field goal, and Allen then pushed the game to even with a 37-yard sideline throw to Keon Coleman that set up his own quarterback sneak from the 1. By halftime, the score was tied 10-10.
The Chargers opened the second half with a field goal, but even that drive came with traffic jams. After reaching the red zone, Los Angeles had to work through several penalties before Dicker connected from 21 yards to make it 13-10. The lead didn’t last long.
Tarheeb Still stripped Dalton Kincaid and fell on the fumble to give the Chargers another chance, but they couldn’t turn it into points. Khalil Mack then got to Allen, forcing a sack-fumble that Daiyon Henley recovered, and again Los Angeles couldn’t fully capitalize. Instead, Herbert threw a costly interception to CJ Gardner-Johnson at the 1-yard line, wiping out a scoring chance and swinging the door open for Buffalo.
Allen made them pay with another one-yard touchdown run to put Buffalo ahead 17-13, and when the Chargers later stalled on fourth-and-10 and turned it over on downs, the Bills took command. Cook finished a drive from three yards out to stretch the lead to 24-13.
Herbert got the Chargers moving one more time, but the drive ended in another Dicker field goal, this one from 33 yards, trimming the margin to 24-16. Los Angeles still needed the onside kick to land, but Buffalo secured it, and Cook picked up the only first down the Bills needed to drain the clock and close it out.
In Other News...
Maxx Crosby Sees One Reason This Raiders Start Feels Different
The Raiders 3-0 start has already drawn its share of attention, and Maxx Crosby said the early feel around this group is not just about the record. The veteran defensive end pointed to the teams focus and the way players have stayed close through a summer that included plenty of trade speculation, a backdrop that could have easily created noise in the locker room.
For a Chargers fan watching the AFC West unfold, that matters because Las Vegas has looked like a team comfortable with its footing right away. Crosbys read on the mood suggests the Raiders believe this stretch is built on more than momentum, which is part of why their start has taken on a different kind of meaning this season. [Read more 🡒]
Matt LaFleur Is Facing Pressure Packers Fans Never Expected This Early
The early-season wobble around the Chargers has put Jim Harbaugh in an uncomfortable spot, but he is hardly alone among the leagues established coaches feeling the heat. Across the NFL, slow starts have a way of turning September into a referendum on the direction of a program, and the spotlight is already growing sharper on a trio of veteran head coaches whose teams have not met expectations.
Matt LaFleurs situation is the one that stands out most because Packers fans were not expecting this much urgency this soon, especially after a lopsided loss left Green Bay at 1-2. For the Chargers, the parallel is easy to see: when a season opens badly, the questions stop being about one game and start becoming about the bigger picture, and thats the kind of pressure that can follow a coach well beyond the next Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Panic Is Growing As Their Brutal Start Gets Even Worse
Three weeks into the 2026 NFL season, the Chargers are already dealing with a kind of frustration that goes beyond a simple bad break or two. They have lost three games even while forcing multiple turnovers, which is the sort of stat line that usually keeps a team afloat long enough to find its footing. Instead, it has only made the slow start feel more maddening for a roster that expected far better.
Around the league, there are other early-season problems worth monitoring, from Drake Mayes uneven statistical start in New England to the Rams injury-related setbacks and Houstons 0-3 hole. But for the Chargers, the concern is more immediate because the margin for error is already shrinking. A defense creating takeaways should be a foundation, yet the results have not followed, and the question now is how long they can keep waiting for the rest of the season to catch up. [Read more 🡒]