It might not have been the Josh Allen versus Justin Herbert battle as initially hoped, but Easton Stick and the Los Angeles Chargers gave the Buffalo Bills a fight.
Los Angeles trailed 21-13 entering the fourth quarter before rattling off nine straight points to seize the lead, but Allen and the Bills answered with a game-winning drive to win 24-22 Saturday night on Peacock. Tyler Bass drilled a 29-yard field goal to win it, his only field-goal attempt of the night.
The Chargers tried to lateral their way for a miracle in the dying seconds, but came up way short.
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This was a result Buffalo absolutely needed to keep pushing for a playoff spot in a tight AFC while Los Angeles have been eliminated from contention.
Let's analyze the game further with five winners and losers:
Winner: Gabe Davis, Bills
NFL
Davis continues to be the most consistently inconsistent receiver. After not logging a catch the last two weeks against the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, the 24-year-old exploded for four catches, 130 yards and a touchdown to lead his team. That included a 57-yard touchdown.
Loser: James Cook, Bills
Opposite of Davis, Cook cooked Dallas last time out with 179 rushing yards on 25 carries and a score to go with two catches for 42 yards and a score. But, despite rushing for 70 yards on 20 carries in this one, he'll most be remembered for fumbling twice, with one being recovered by the Chargers. He had a rough go in his rookie debut last year against the Rams, too, so it might just be a SoFi Stadium thing. At least Buffalo won't be back in Southern California for a while.
Winner: Giff Smith, Chargers
If you're the Chargers, you really couldn't ask for much more. They were within fighting distance of a playoff team and stay in high draft position with the loss. Smith, the interim head coach in place of Brandon Staley, deserves a ton of credit for the game plan in keeping this one competitive. Stick didn't completely outplay Allen, but things could've been different had Los Angeles capitalized off three Buffalo turnovers.
Whether he's worthy of a permanent job will be determined in the last two weeks at the Denver Broncos and home to the Kansas City Chiefs, but this was a solid showing.
Loser: One-possession losses
Whereas teams like the Philadelphia Eagles have picked up several one-possession wins this season, the Chargers have not experienced the same fortune. In fact, they dropped to 0-6 on the season in such scenarios, which they have become known for the last few seasons. Here are those results:
- Week 1: 36-34 loss to Miami Dolphins
- Week 2: 27-24 OT loss at Tennessee Titans
- Week 6: 20-17 loss to Dallas Cowboys
- Week 10: 41-38 loss to Detroit Lions
- Week 11: 23-20 loss at Green Bay Packers
- Week 16: 24-22 loss to Buffalo Bills
It doesn't help that four of those came at home. If they managed to win all four, they'd have 10 wins and the narrative would be completely different. Somehow they have to reverse that fortune.
Winner: Ed Oliver, Bills
Oliver arguably had the best night by a Bill defensively, constantly wreaking havoc on the Chargers' offensive line. The 26-year-old recorded four tackles (three solo), two sacks, two tackles for loss and two QB hits. He also sacked Stick on their last drive, ending any legitimate hopes of a game-winning play.
Oliver now is up to a career-high 6.5 sacks on the season. His previous high was five in 2019 as a rookie. Buffalo will need him to keep going to bolster its winning chances.