The Buffalo Bills will try to rebound from a Week 1 disaster when they host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 EST on Sunday, September 16, at New Era Field in Buffalo, New York. Fans in local markets can watch the game on CBS.
If we look at the NFL Week 2 odds, the Chargers are favored by 7.5 points on the road. That line has come down a little after the Chargers opened as 8-point favorites. This game also has an over/under of 44 points.
As mentioned, things couldn’t have been any worse for the Bills in Week 1, as they lost 47-3 to the Ravens. The offense sputtered behind Nathan Peterman, who was eventually pulled from the game. Rookie Josh Allen was slightly better, but when all was said and done, the Bills had just 153 total yards and 10 first downs, a truly pitiful showing. Naturally, that has warranted a change at quarterback, as Allen will get his first career start against the Chargers.
Los Angeles also suffered a Week 1 loss, falling at home to the Chiefs 38-28. The Chargers dominated this game statistically, outgaining the Chiefs by nearly 200 yards. However, the Chargers hurt themselves with a couple of turnovers while a Tyreek Hill punt return for a touchdown in the 1st quarter had them playing from behind the entire game. They now have to head all the way to the east coast in Week 2 as they hope to avoid the same poor September that doomed them in 2017.
When these two teams met in Los Angeles last year, the Chargers won convincingly 54-24. That game is memorable for being Peterman’s first NFL start and for the five interceptions he threw. The Chargers could catch a break again this year against the Bills, as they’ll be facing another young quarterback making his first career start.
I went back and forth a lot on this game. Typically, I don’t lean toward west coast teams that are playing a 1:00 game on the east coast, especially when they’re favored, much less favored by over a touchdown. That being said, the Bills have too many weaknesses, not to mention a rookie quarterback who probably needed to wait a little longer than Week 2 to get his first start. I’ll break with convention and lean toward the Chargers to cover on the road.
The biggest factor for me was not Buffalo’s quarterback situation but rather their offensive line. The Bills have only a couple holdovers from last year’s line, with left tackle Cordy Glenn being the most notable absence. That unit was flat out dominated last week against the Ravens. Even LeSean McCoy could only manage 22 yards on seven carries. He was bottled up time and time again, and since he’s Buffalo’s best offensive weapon, that’s a major concern.
If the Bills can’t play well on the offensive line and get their running game going, it doesn’t matter who plays quarterback. Allen may have the arm talent to play in the NFL, but the Bills are more or less setting him up for failure with such a bad offensive line in front of him. They’re essentially throwing him to the wolves with no protection, no running game, and no legitimate no. 1 receiver.
Obviously, the Chargers had plenty of issues defensively last week, as they allowed second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes to throw four touchdown passes. The L.A. defense recorded just one sack, in part because Joey Bosa was out with a foot injury. Bosa will miss this week’s game as well, which is a genuine concern for the Chargers. However, they should be good enough on that side of the ball to take advantage of all of Buffalo’s shortcomings on offense.
On the other side of the ball, I’m genuinely interested to see if the Buffalo defense can stand up to Philip Rivers and company. Despite all the points the Bills allowed last week, they were tough against the run and didn’t allow a pass play longer than 29 yards. The Bills are genuinely talented on that side of the ball, and if Buffalo beats the spread, it’ll be because their defense was able to play well at home.
However, I worry that the Chargers have too many playmakers for them to handle. The running back tandem of Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler combined for over 100 yards on the ground last week. They were also a big part of the passing game. Along with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, the Chargers had four players with over 80 yards receiving last week. I’m not sure the Bills can keep up with that kind of depth, especially without any support from the offense.
In the end, I can’t envision the Buffalo defense standing tall for 60 minutes if the Bills struggle offensively the way they did last week. The Chargers have more dynamic playmakers than the Bills saw last week against the Ravens. Even if the west coast Chargers start slowly with the early game time, it’ll only be a matter of time until they get rolling and score enough points to cover the spread.