The Buffalo Bills (3-0) have had two tough games coming into Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers (0-3) as they look to finally break through to compete for a Super Bowl. Buffalo received some good news with wide receiver DJ Moore returning to the lineup, but the Bills made it tough on themselves to beat a Chargers team that is struggling to win games in the early going.
The Bills beat the Chargers 24-16 in a game where Buffalo has had better games in terms of taking care of the football, but running back James Cook remained steady as always. Cook carried the football 24 times for 154 yards (6.4 yards per carry) and one touchdown while Moore came back to the team with the kind of solid game that the franchise was looking for when
they traded for him this offseason.
The Bills turned the ball over five times thanks to three fumbles and two interceptions, but the good news for them is that the Chargers were unable to capitalize on those mistakes the majority of the time. Buffalo took care of business at home against the Chargers and with that being said, here is the stock report for the Bills following Sunday's win over Los Angeles:
Stock Up: RB James Cook
Cook has been one of the most dependable members of the Bills since he came to the team as a second-round pick ahead of the 2022 season, but this game is an example of why Buffalo has kept him around this long. With Allen struggling with turnovers and pushing the ball down the field, Cook was able to take advantage of Los Angeles' front-seven and was even able to turn some of his solid gains into explosive plays.
Stock Down: WR Khalil Shakir
Considering how well Shakir has played for the Bills over the past few seasons, this entry was easy given that Shakir caught just one of his three targets for just six yards. Granted, Allen barely threw for over 200 yards and it was clear that the Chargers were taking away the short and intermediate areas from players like Shakir, but he has to be better if the Bills are going to eventually get over the hump.
Stock Up: LB Greg Rousseau
Rousseau came into this game leading the entire NFL in sacks and on Sunday, he showed why as he relentlessly pursued Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and planted multiple hits on him. Not only that, but Rousseau was able to sack Herbert twice and made his impact in run coverage by totaling eight tackles (five solo), including four for losses.
Stock Down: DT DeWayne Carter
Carter had some promise for the Bills when they drafted him in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and this season, he should get the playing time to show what he can do for a team with championship aspirations. However, in a game where the Bills had no problem getting to Herbert, but needed help in the running game, Carter piling up just three tackles is not enough for what he's capable of.
Stock Up: WR DJ Moore
As mentioned earlier, Moore thankfully didn't have to miss much time after suffering a shoulder injury in Buffalo's Week 2 win over the Detroit Lions and now, it looks like he's ready to contribute as well. Moore caught six of his 10 targets for 67 yards and he could've had a bigger day if one or two of the deep passes Allen threw to him were able to connect.
Stock Down: QB Josh Allen
Allen has played at an MVP-caliber level for the Bills over the past few seasons or so, but this game was uncharacteristic for him as he couldn't hold onto the football. Allen completed 16 of his 26 passes for just 204 yards and two interceptions while also averaging less than 3.0 yards per carry to pair with a lost fumble. This will likely be Allen's worst game of the season, but this outing had to be acknowledged in spite of the victory.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Stock up, stock down following the Bills' 24-16 win over Chargers
