Bills vs Chargers: Stock up/down from Buffalo’s Week 3 win
Grace Urbanski/Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills took down the Los Angeles Chargers in a narrow 24-16 victory to advance to 3-0 on the young season. Buffalo’s offense was lackluster and struggled to get anything going, turning the ball over five times. The run game and James Cook picked up later in the game and helped the Bills seal the win. Defensively, Buffalo played very well. Greg Rousseau once again wreaked havoc in the backfield, getting to Justin Herbert multiple times.
Here is my stock up and down from Buffalo’s Week 3 win:
Stock up
The Bills opened their first drive of the game with a run to James Cook, which he fumbled, and it was recovered by the Chargers. Following that fumble, he had 23 more carries and was reliable, finishing with 154 rushing yards and a touchdown. Cook is now third in rushing on the season with 346, sitting behind Kenneth Walker and Bijan Robinson.
WR DJ Moore
DJ Moore was the Bills’ leading receiver on Sunday and was Josh Allen’s number one target. Moore was questionable heading into this matchup with a shoulder injury but played and looked good. Moore finished with six receptions and 67 receiving yards, leading Buffalo in both receptions and receiving.
Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau has been playing like a superstar. Rousseau has had two sacks in each week of the season, now at six sacks on the season which leads the league, and is the most in Bills franchise history through three games.
Rousseau finished with eight total tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks. He has continued to come up big for Buffalo, and this week is no different, getting to Herbert late in the fourth which stalled out their drive.
The Bills veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson had a great game against the Chargers on Sunday. Gardner-Johnson was a vocal leader in the secondary, finishing with five total tackles, and a game-altering interception early in the fourth quarter down 13-10, which sparked the comeback.
CB Davison Igbinosun
Christian Benford exited the game late in the third quarter with a toe injury, and in for him was Ohio State rookie Davison Igbinosun who held his own. Igbinosun finished the game with six total tackles, and a pass deflection. He instantly made an impact on his first snap, breaking up a deep pass from Justin Herbert intended for Quentin Johnston on third down.
Stock down
QB Josh Allen
Allen struggled against the Chargers on Sunday. Allen finished 16/26 for 204 passing yards and had three turnovers. He threw two consecutive interceptions in the first quarter and fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter in Buffalo territory, giving LA great field position. While Allen did get into the end zone twice on two quarterback sneaks, the turnovers against a better team could be extremely costly, and this game was not his best.
CB Christian Benford
The Bills’ number one cornerback has continued to struggle through the first three weeks of the season. He struggled in coverage, getting called with a costly holding penalty which negated a C.J. Gardner-Johnson interception. Before exiting the game late in the third quarter with a toe injury, Benford recorded three tackles and a pass deflection. He was seen after the game in a walking boot on his right foot.
Turnovers
The Bills kept the Chargers in the game all day long by turning the ball over five times. It began with the fumble by James Cook on the opening drive of the game which turned into a touchdown for LA. Josh Allen then threw two consecutive picks to safety Genesis Smith which only resulted in three points, turning the ball over three times before the end of the first quarter.
Late in the third quarter, Allen completed a pass over the middle to Dalton Kincaid which went for 24 yards before he fumbled it and gave it right back to LA. At the start of the fourth quarter, Allen turned the ball over again, fumbling on Buffalo’s 28-yard line.
The team that wins the turnover battle, most of the time, wins the game. Buffalo was very fortunate the turnovers did not turn into more points for the Chargers.
Penalties
On top of the turnovers, the Bills piled up the penalties. Buffalo finished with 10 penalties for 88 yards and killed multiple drives by driving themselves backwards.
Sacks
Whether it was the protection, Josh Allen, or the play calling, the Bills were under duress all day long and allowed four sacks for 30 yards.
About The Author
Daniel Adams
Writer for Built In Buffalo News covering the Buffalo Bills and NFL Draft | Journalism Student at St. Joseph’s University
