The Los Angeles Chargers, needless to say, need to see major improvements on both sides of the ball if they're going to come away with a win in Week 3.
The Buffalo Bills have not only had the hottest offensive in the league through two weeks, but they've also been surprisingly staunch along their defensive line, bullying opposing protection plans and creating ample pressure through their first two matchups. For a team that has yet to find its stride on either offense or defense, that should be a major concern.
The Chargers are heavy underdogs heading into this matchup, and rightfully so given the way they've played so far. But if they ultimately start the season 0-3, especially if this game is non-competitive, you can all but write off their playoff hopes before they even truly enter their toughest stretch of this campaign.
The improvements we need to see in this game are too numerous to fully list out here. But if the Chargers can accomplish these three things, they'll at least be able to keep the game close as they attempt to carve out a win with their season on the line.
3 things the Chargers need to do to stand a chance against the Buffalo Bills
1. Get Omarion Hampton going on the ground, and keep the Bills interior on their toes early
Through two weeks, the Bills seem to have one of the most formidable rushing defenses in the NFL. Even with a key piece in Ed Oliver not having made his season debut yet, Buffalo was able to limit Jahmyr Gibbs to just 52 yards on 16 touches in Week 2 They held David Montgomery to 60 yards on 20 touches in Week 1.
Stop me if you've heard this before, then. This week is going to hinge upon the offensive line for Los Angeles.
If they're able to carve out enough space for the explosive Omarion Hampton to get going early against this Bills defense, putting them on their toes and allowing Mike McDaniel a wider berth to make use of this passing attack, the Chargers will have a real chance to reverse course. If they're simply trying to funnel the ball to Ladd McConkey without any momentum on the ground, things could easily look just as bad (if not worse) as they did over the past two weeks.
2. Find the right matchups in the secondary to limit the Bills pass catchers
A large part of what made Jesse Minter such an effective play caller for the Chargers was his ability to put the talent the team had in the secondary in positions to succeed on a consistent basis. His zone-heavy scheme allowed them to maximize their coverage without a true star outside of Derwin James Jr. Chris O'Leary hasn't found that balance so far.
Through two weeks, the Chargers are the league's sixth-worst passing defense in terms of total yards. And that was against Jacoby Brissett and Kirk Cousins. What can Josh Allen do to this defense if O'Leary isn't able to make quick adjustments?
The one solace Los Angeles has is that there's not a truly elite pass catcher on this Bills roster. If James can successfully match up with Dalton Kincaid on a down-to-down basis, O'Leary should have a chance to balance Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still, and Cam Hart in a way that limits Buffalo's other playmakers—like Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Joshua Palmer. DJ Moore is currently questionable, so that could change the complexion of things a bit.
But we saw Minter accomplish that sort of feat time and time again with this same core of defenders. O'Leary, theoretically, should be able to do the same.
3. Simply limit mistakes (miscues, fumbles, botched snaps) on the offensive side of the ball
This one is an easy choice, but it's simply too obvious to leave off of this list. The Chargers need to cut down on mistakes if they're going to find any momentum on the offensive side of the ball.
Of teams that have played two games (so excluding the Green Bay Packers), Los Angeles leads the league in fumbles with a concerning total of seven. Whether or not you want to attribute them to him, Justin Herbert has thrown three interceptions to just two touchdowns this season. There's been botched snaps, miscues, mishandled handoffs, and poorly run routes consistently throughout both games.
This is an issue of preparation and execution more than it is a schematic one, and that falls, first and foremost, upon the coaching staff. If the Chargers can exit Week 3 with even just one turnover, that would be a minor win for this offense as a whole.
Add us as a preferred source on Google