HOW THEY MATCH UP
When Chargers have the ball: Quarterback Easton Stick completed 23 of 32 passes and threw for three touchdowns in the Chargers’ Week 15 loss at Las Vegas. He also fumbled twice, however, and had his one interception run back for a touchdown. Stick, who barely played over the previous five seasons before Justin Herbert’s seasonending finger injury in Week 14, has fumbled four times in 21 possessions. That total ties him with Herbert for the most among the Chargers. Against the Raiders, the offense did little before scoring two late touchdowns after the Chargers had fallen behind 63-7. “Emotionally, you just want to burn it, for sure,” Stick said of the game tape. “But there’s a benefit to going back and watching it. ... As bad as it felt, there are positives that you can take from it and things you have to learn from.” Buffalo will be a stout test for Stick as the Bills are coming off back-toback victories during which they limited Kansas City and Dallas to a combined 27 points. The Chiefs and Cowboys produced only three touchdowns in 18 series in those games. Buffalo had a nearly 10-minute advantage in time of possession in each win.
When Bills have the ball: Quarterback Josh Allen is the engine that drives Buffalo’s offense. In the Bills’ 31-10 victory over Dallas last weekend, the engine was allowed to idle. Allen was a pedestrian seven for 15 for 94 yards in the win, Buffalo instead running all over the Cowboys. The Bills rushed 49 times for 266 yards, with James Cook’s 179 yards leading the way. All of this means Allen and the passing attack figure to be eager and ready for the Chargers, who have been torched through the air repeatedly. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is someone to watch for against a secondary that has struggled particularly against elite receivers. There is something else worth monitoring, however: The Chargers will have a new play-caller on defense in Derrick Ansley, who is taking over for the fired Brandon Staley. Under Staley, the Chargers’ scheme at times appeared to be too complicated and too reliant on signals that were being relayed late. The result often was miscommunication or poor alignment leading to big plays for the opposition. With the coaching change, perhaps Ansley will attempt to simplify the Chargers’ approach and permit his defenders to play faster and use the skills that brought them to the NFL. When they kick: In a rocky season for his team, Cameron Dicker has remained a rock. He is 19 for 20 on fieldgoal attempts and 34 for 34 on extra-point tries for the Chargers. In 25 regularseason games, he has missed only two kicks — field goal attempts of 52 and 53 yards. In his fourth year with Buffalo, Tyler Bass is 21 for 26 on field goals and 40 for 41 on extra points.
By the numbers: Per-game averages except for sacks and turnovers (with NFL rank):
Jeff Miller’s prediction: The Chargers still are not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, which seems almost impossible for a team that has been in free fall since the second week of November. They aren’t going anywhere, of course, except into an offseason in which significant changes are expected. Buffalo has every reason to win this game and should have solid fan support inside SoFi Stadium.
BILLS 35, CHARGERS 10