The Los Angeles Chargers are seeking their first win of the season, but if they’re not prepared they could very well fall to 0-2 against a lesser team…
The Los Angeles Chargers suffered another loss last week at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, but this week’s game is about as much of a “gimme” game any on their schedule.
Still, the Buffalo Bills are an NFL team with some good players on its roster. A team seeking vengeance for their crushing loss last year trying to defend home turf is a potentially dangerous one.
The Chargers will probably win this Sunday, but if they don’t, here are two potential reasons why things will play out that way.
No pass rush
Without a pass rush, quarterbacks have time to find offensive players on broken plays and often can get chunks of yards on throws to receivers who can improvise. Against the Chargers defense last week, you could see Patrick Mahomes doing just that.
Tyreek Hill, one of the five most dangerous weapons in football, was able to find the right spots in the defense to make huge plays. The Bolts, lacking the dominant force that Joey Bosa usually is, were at one point staring down a 31-12 loss in the third quarter.
Josh Allen is not going to play like Mahomes, nor is any Bills’ receiver as crafty and talented as Hill. But if Allen has time to feel comfortable in his first NFL start, he’ll exploit the Bolts’ defense. For as good as the corners and safeties are on this roster, it’s near impossible to expect them all to hold their coverage for an extra five to seven seconds.
For whatever reason, the team elected to not use preseason stand outs Uchenna Nwosu and Chris Landrum more often, and the two combined for just 14 snaps. If the coaching staff makes the same mistake of being passive with their play makers, the Bills could sneak a win at home.
LeSean McCoy
Before the game became a blowout, the Bills were holding the Chargers close at StubHub due to an effective rushing attack that scored either team’s first offensive touchdown. McCoy’s gashing 27-yard run took the breath out of the stadium, and the Bolts were only up 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Chaos ensued for quarterback Nathan Peterman, and the Bills never sniffed a lead from the second quarter on. However, fans need to remind themselves that McCoy was actually very efficient in this game, taking 14 touches for 126 yards, which is good for a staggering nine yards per touch.
The Chargers will be without Joey Bosa, and due to their appalling lack of a pass rush I believe the Bolts won’t have the blowout game many expect them to. McCoy will be leaned on early and often, especially against a defense that hasn’t changed much up front from a season ago.
For what it’s worth, the Chiefs’ two main rushers ran for 4.26 yards per carry last week, an indicator that the defense has not solved its run-stopping problems. Look for the Bills to try and get McCoy 25 touches in this contest.