The Buffalo Bills clocked into work again during the 2026 NFL campaign and came out on top.
In Week 3, the Bills (3-0) took a messy 24-16 win at home against the Los Angeles Chargers (0-3). Despite that, did the Bills earn high marks across the board for their effort?
With that, here are Bills Wire's Week 3 report card:
Pass offense: C-
Quarterback Josh Allen had his worst game of the season. Good teams still manage to win bad outings, but that doesn't help in a weekly report card. Allen had his first two interceptions of the year and tight end Dalton Kincaid had a brutal fumble after a big gain. In general, wide receivers were not always getting open for Allen as well.
On the positive side, the passing attack did just enough to keep the Chargers honest on defense
which gave room for running back James Cook to work on the ground.
Run offense: A-
Entering Sunday, the Chargers defense came into the game ranked No. 1 in yards allowed per attempt at 2.7. Cook knew that and put up 154 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown. That's an average of 6.4 yards per carry.
Pass defense: B
Up front, the Bills' pass rush had series during the game where they allowed Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert plenty of time in the pocket. Edge defender Greg Rousseau had the only two sacks with a team-high seven QB pressures.
While Herbert might have had time, Buffalo's secondary was excellent. CJ Gardner-Johnson had a game-changing interception in the fourth quarter. Overlooked by not forgotten was Davison Igbinosun, as the rookie stepped in at cornerback for Christian Benford when he was injured and the Bills did not miss a beat.
Run defense: C-
Herbert having time in the pocket was similar to the Chargers having space to run the ball at times in this game. Los Angeles rusher Omarion Hampton and Keaton Mitchell combined for 108 yards on 23 attempts, an average of 4.7 yards per carry.
However, as a whole, the Bills defense did an impressive job of bending but not breaking on a few occasions. That made a big difference in a close game.
Special teams: B
Greg Dortch was impressive on kick returners and gained 92 total yards on three of them combined. Kicker Tyler Bass made all four of his attempts which included one 28-yard field goal and three extra points.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Report card: Bills beat Chargers 24-16 in Week 3
