It wasn’t a super pretty victory, but the Buffalo Bills took control and knocked off the Los Angeles Chargers 27-17 in Week 12. Buffalo (8-3) made the right plays at the right times to add another W to the win column.
It was a game that the Bills were expected to win. The Chargers (3-8) have found a multitude of ways to fall short this year. Entering the game 3-7, Los Angeles was sliding farther away from any sort of playoff contention. Meanwhile, the Bills were looking to add to their AFC East lead. Buffalo needed to get back into the win column after their last-second loss to the Cardinals. It all fell into place Sunday afternoon for the Bills.
Buffalo’s offense was solid. There weren’t many big plays, but the unit moved steadily throughout the game. Quarterback Josh Allen’s stat line was fairly pedestrian but for the most part, he did a good job at moving the offensive unit along. He fumbled once and forced an interception. However, he made several nice throws and ran adequately when necessary. Allen ended the day 18-of-24 passing for 157 yards. He added 32 yards on the ground, including a rushing touchdown that culminated in a dive for the pylon.
Allen found tight end Dawson Knox in the back of the end zone on the team’s first drive of the game. The Bills second touchdown of the game was a bit unorthodox, but the play design by offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was perfect. Wide receiver Cole Beasley came in motion behind Allen. Allen tossed the ball to Beasley, who then threw a dart to the end zone finding fellow receiver Gabriel Davis.
Buffalo’s run game found some positive momentum in the contest, as Devin Singletary ran for 82 yards on 11 carries and Zack Moss totaled 59 yards on nine carries. The offensive line had a much stronger game creating holes for the ground game.
The defense did a good job at limiting the Chargers offense from gaining any solid footing. Outside of the two Los Angeles touchdown drives, there wasn’t much to write home about for the Chargers. The Bills defense held the Los Angeles run game to only 76 yards on 24 carries.
While Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert totaled 316 yards through the air, it didn’t seem like a strong day for the rookie. Buffalo’s defense forced several incompletions due to their pass rush. In addition, the secondary allowed only one big play through the air, a 55-yard late in the game that didn’t end up harming the Bills.
Defensively, linebacker AJ Klein continued his impressive play over the past few weeks. The veteran totaled 14 tackles (10 solo), three tackles for loss, two passes defended, a sack-and-a-half. Tre’Davious White recorded an interception, as he came off his receiver and cut off a pass over the middle of the field.
Buffalo was helped by the coaching decisions of Anthony Lynn as well. The former Buffalo offensive coordinator called time outs at odd times lost faith in his special teams unit and struggled with clock management all afternoon. The final moments of the game were a microcosm of the afternoon. The Chargers completed a deep pass down the middle of the field. With the clock running down, Los Angeles called a run play, which squandered precious time on the field. Meanwhile, the Chargers tried to run on the final play of the game. Buffalo’s defensive line smoked the Chargers in the trenches, giving the Bills a 10-point victory.
While it wasn’t a perfect game for the Bills, it was one where they always felt like they were in control. Buffalo’s coaches made the right play calls at the best times. Meanwhile, all units played well enough to keep everything in order for the Bills.
The Bills take on the San Francisco 49ers next week in primetime action and cane hopefully build off this momentum. Buffalo will need to clean up some of their errors, but overall, if they can win by two scores and not play the perfect game, it’s promising moving forward for the squad.
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