ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are my five takes from the Buffalo Bills’ 24-22 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night at SoFi Stadium:
1. Bottom line, it was a win.
Pretty? Hardly. The Bills had three turnovers to zero by the Chargers. That stat, alone, should have been enough to cause them to lose.
But at this stage, all that matters is getting the W because that keeps the playoff heart beating. The win helped lift the 9-6 Bills from ninth to sixth in the AFC, putting them in position for a wild-card berth at the least.
“This is our playoffs,” Josh Allen said. “It doesn’t matter how we get them done. Just get them done.”
The Chargers did not play like the 12½-point underdogs that oddsmakers said they were.
“Dangerous team,” Allen said of the Chargers. “Highest level of professional athletes.”
From the start, they let the Bills know they were fully prepared to give them a fight. Never mind that it was the first game with interim coach Giff Smith on the sideline and Easton Stick, was making only his second NFL start in place of injured starter Justin Herbert.
The Bills allowed the Chargers to hang around and even take a 10-0 lead into the second quarter.
Eventually, though, the more talented team with much more on the line got its act together. Allen wasn’t great but did more than enough in running for two touchdowns and throwing for a third.
2. Gabe Davis emerged as the Bills’ most dynamic playmaker.
He caught four passes on six targets for 130 yards. That included a 57-yard touchdown to cut the Chargers’ lead to 10-7. Besides making a great finger-tip grab, Davis also used sheer force to avoid being tackled by cornerback Kenneth Murray short of the goal line.
Davis also turned a short catch into a 20-yard gain. Allen finished the drive with a two-yard walk-in touchdown to put the Bills in front, 14-10.
It was notable that Stefon Diggs only had five catches on eight targets for 29 yards and spent lengthy stretches on the sideline. On one of the targets, Allen threw across his body from deep in Buffalo territory and was intercepted. The Chargers cashed in with a field goal to make it 14-13.
But Diggs did have a huge 11-yard reception on the way to Tyler Bass’ winning 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds left.
3. The Bills’ pass rush was solid and came up with timely sacks and pressures.
That, as much as anything, was what made the difference for the Bills. They finished with five sacks, two by Ed Oliver, who has more than demonstrated the Bills were wise to give him that hefty contract extension.
The Bills’ D also came up big by holding the Chargers to five field goals.
Give Sean McDermott credit for doing a good job of calling defensive signals. He took advantage of the Chargers’ porous offensive line and Stick’s inexperience with twists and games that allowed for considerable pressure up the middle.
4. The turnovers must be a concern, along with costly penalties.
“The turnovers,” McDermott said. “We’ve got to continue to work there.”
Besides Allen’s interception, James Cook fumbled twice and lost one and Deonte Harty lost the ball on a punt return. McDermott surprisingly allowed Cook and Harty to stay in the game.
“I’ve got confidence in those guys, to begin with,” the coach said. “And, secondly, it’s late in the year. You need to learn a lesson.”
The Bills didn’t follow up last week’s dominant rushing performance against Dallas with another strong ground attack. Buffalo finished with 105 rushing yards, with 70 by Cook on 20 carries.
5. The AFC East championship is still in play for the Bills.
If the Miami Dolphins lose either of their next two games, against Dallas and Baltimore, and the Bills beat New England on New Year’s Eve, that would set the Bills up with the opportunity to win the division crown at Miami in Week 18.
That the Bills didn’t make it look as easy as expected against the Chargers is less important than the fact they have won three games in a row. It’s reasonable to think Buffalo will make it four in a row against the bottom-feeding Patriots.