The Buffalo Bills scraped by the Los Angeles Chargers for their third straight win on Saturday night, 24-22. Buffalo was double-digit favorites in this matchup, but trailed by a score of 22-21 late in the game thanks to three fourth-quarter field goals from Cameron Dicker. However, Josh Allen led a 13-play, 64-yard game-winning drive, as Tyler Bass hit a 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining.
This was a sloppy outing from Buffalo, as the Bills lost the turnover battle 3-0, and lost the time of possession battle while committing seven penalties for 64 yards. Allen completed 15 of 21 passes for 237 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and also added 15 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. James Cook rushed 20 times for 70 yards, but also fumbled twice, losing one which directly led to the Chargers taking the lead late in the fourth quarter. Gabe Davis had a big outing with 130 receiving yards and a touchdown on four receptions, while Stefon Diggs caught five passes for 29 yards.
Easton Stick had a solid outing with 210 passing yards while completing 23 of 33 passes. He also rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown. Austin Ekeler rushed for 65 yards on 15 carries, while Joshua Palmer led L.A. with 47 receiving yards on five catches.
According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Bills now have a 70.7% chance to make the playoffs. Let's take a look at what went down Saturday night.
Why the Bills won
I think it's fair to say the Bills deserved to lose this game. Apart from the slow start, a Cook fumble gave L.A. possession at the Bills' 32-yard line with seven minutes remaining to play. It gifted Dicker his fifth made field goal of the game, and the Chargers the lead.
Buffalo was inconsistent on both sides of the ball, but did stand up when it mattered most. The defense held the Chargers to just a field goal after that Cook fumble, and then Allen led the offense 64 yards down the field on 13 plays while converting two third downs to set up the game-winning field goal. The Bills got the job done late in the fourth quarter.
Why the Chargers lost
Down four points entering the third quarter, it did feel like the Bills were about to run away with the game. But they didn't. In fact, the Chargers punted just once in the final two quarters, but the problem is they didn't score any touchdowns.
Dicker, who was one of the players of the game, hit four field goals in the second half -- including three in the final quarter. The Chargers needed at least one touchdown, but that didn't happen. In all, L.A. went 4 of 14 on third downs and 1 of 3 in the red zone. Those numbers were the difference between winning and losing.
Turning point
Facing a third-and-4 from the Chargers' 28-yard line with 2:34 remaining in the game, Allen dropped back and was faced with heavy pressure. He somehow got the ball out to Khalil Shakir, who appeared to get up and run the ball in for a touchdown.
This was a turning point, because after the play was reviewed, it was observed that Shakir was actually touched down. It took six points off the board, but this call was worse for the Chargers. Instead of L.A. getting the ball back down five or six points with two minutes remaining and a timeout to use, Buffalo was able to run out plenty of clock before kicking the game-winning field goal.
Play of the game
Down 10-0 early, the Bills needed a big play. That big play came in the form of this Davis touchdown.
What's next
The Bills return to Buffalo next weekend, and will host Bailey Zappe and the rival New England Patriots. As for the Chargers, they will travel to Denver to take on the Broncos.