Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR/WBEN) - Despite five turnovers on offense, the Buffalo Bills somehow found a way to a 24-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. The win keeps Buffalo unbeaten to start the 2026 season.
The first drive of the game certainly did not go as planned for the Bills, as running back James Cook fumbled on the very first play from scrimmage at the Buffalo 47-yard line.
That gave the Chargers an early opportunity to strike first, which they did thanks to a 1-yard touchdown from Keaton Mitchell, who took a jet sweep from Justin Herbert and managed to escape a tackle for loss along the way.
After both teams exchanged punts on their next drives, Buffalo’s offense looked to find a groove, but to no avail after quarterback Josh Allen missed on an intended pass for wide receiver D.J. Moore and was picked off by Chargers cornerback Genesis Smith at the Bills' 43-yard line.
The Bills defense did hold the Chargers to just three more points, as kicker Cameron Dicker tacked on a field goal from 31 yards out to build on the Los Angeles lead.
On the first play of the second quarter, Allen turned the ball over for a second-consecutive drive with a deep ball for Moore that ended up being picked off by Smith once again. It appeared the Rams had jumped offside on the play, but no flag was thrown by the officials.
The Chargers then had a chance to add on points and put the Bills in a difficult situation about five minutes into the second quarter, but the Buffalo defense held firm and forced a field goal try from Dicker. However, the Chargers' veteran kicker missed from 45 yards out, opening the door for the Bills to get back into the contest.
The Bills responded in tow, going 55 yards down the field in 10 plays, and setting up a 28-yard field goal from Tyler Bass to get on the board and make it a once score game.
After another forced punt by the Bills defense and with time ticking down on the first half, Buffalo was able to go 80 yards in 10 players to tie the game, 10-10, after a 1-yard touchdown run from Allen up the gut. The score was set up by a beautiful 37-yard connection between the Bills quarterback and third-year wideout Keon Coleman.
The Chargers tried to move the ball quickly into scoring position just before the end of the half, but did not succeed, resulting in a 10-10 score heading into the locker room.
Los Angeles opened the second half with a long 13-play drive that chewed 8:48 off the game clock, but only resulted in a 21-yard field goal from Dicker to give the Chargers the lead once more, 13-10.
The Bills then went to work looking for an immediate response, but a huge 24-yard gain off a catch from tight end Dalton Kincaid ended in Buffalo's fourth turnover of the afternoon. This time, Kincaid was stripped as he fought for extra yardage, and the Chargers recovered the football deep in their own territory.
This time, though, the Buffalo defense stood its ground and forced a punt to give the ball back to the offense and a chance to give the Bills their first lead of the game.
They could not capitalize, though, as another fumble - this time on a strip-sack of Allen - gave the Chargers control once more, this time in Buffalo territory at the 28-yard line.
The Bills defense needed another stop, and got one in the biggest way this time around. On a 3rd-and-5 from the Buffalo 23-yard line, Herbert attempted a pass for the end zone that was intercepted by veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He then returned the ball 41 yards to give the Bills exceptional field position for their next offensive push.
It was a chaotic offensive drive for the Bills due to penalties - including a fourth-down, 43-yard touchdown that was nullified to a hold, but still had the yardage needed for a fresh set of downs. However, the Bills managed to finish the drive with another touchdown and a lead for the first time, this time from Allen again on another 1-yard run.
With time dwindling down in the fourth quarter, the Bills ratcheted up the pressure on defense, including another sack from pass rusher Greg Rousseau, giving him six sacks through the first three games of the season. No other Bills defensive player has achieved such a mark in franchise history.
The Chargers' drive eventually ended with a pair of incompletions, and a turnover on downs at their own 45-yard line and with 5:14 to go.
The Bills made quick work of the short field, and put an exclamation mark on the afternoon with a touchdown from Cook, who hit pay dirt from three yards out.
The Chargers weren’t going down without a fight, though, as Herbert and the offense got back into the Buffalo red zone with just under two minutes left. After a miss on a 3rd-and-7 at the Bills' 15-yard line, the Chargers opted to go for a field goal and cut the deficit to eight, and hope to get some luck recovering an onside kick.
However, the onside kick went in Buffalo's favor, with Coleman recovering and setting up the chance to close the game out.
After beginning the game with a fumble, Cook ended the game with a big nine-yard run on a 3rd-and-6 to seal the 24-16 win and complete a game where he rushed for 154 yards om 24 carries and a touchdown.
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SCORING RECAP
First Quarter:
- 7-0 LOS ANGELES - Chargers Touchdown (10:33) - Justin Herbert leaves a jet sweep for Keaton Mitchell, who finds the end zone from 1-yard out for a touchdown. (Cameron Dicker’s extra-point attempt is good)
Drive info: 8 plays, 47 yards, 4:11
- 10-0 LOS ANGELES - Chargers Field Goal (0:34) - Cameron Dicker’s 31-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 6 plays, 30 yards, 2:49
Second Quarter:
- 10-3 LOS ANGELES - Bills field goal (6:02) - Tyler Bass’ 28-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:20
- 10-10 - Bills Touchdown (0:16) - Josh Allen rushes up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Bass’ extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:49
Third Quarter:
- 13-10 LOS ANGELES - Chargers Field Goal (6:12) - Cameron Dicker's 21-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 13 plays, 69 yards, 8:48
Fourth Quarter:
- 17-13 BUFFALO - Bills Touchdown (7:35) - Josh Allen punches it up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 13 plays, 58 yards, 5:50
- 24-13 BUFFALO - Bills Touchdown (3:13) - James Cook finds a hole up the middle for a 3-yard rushing touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 6 plays, 45 yards, 1:55
- 24-16 BUFFALO - Chargers field goal (1:56) - Cameron Dicker's 33-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 7 plays, 69 yards, 1:17
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LEVEL FINANCIAL ADVISORS STATS OF THE GAME:
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What's next:
The Bills close out a three-game homestand next Sunday when they host the defending AFC champion New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
