The Chargers travel to the new Highmark Stadium to play the Bills on Sunday as Los Angeles continues searching for their first win.
Here's what LA needs to do on defense to come away with the victory.
Keep stopping the run
The Chargers' run defense has performed well early in the year, ranking 7th in yards per game allowed, 7th in EPA/rush allowed, and 6th in rushing success rate allowed. That's been despite playing Jeremiyah Love and Ashton Jeanty, two blue-chip running backs, but you could also argue that both the Cardinals and Raiders have subpar offensive lines even after signing new starters in free agency. In Buffalo, LA will have to deal with both 2025 rushing champ James Cook and a highly touted offensive line, without defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, so a strong
run-defense game would be a huge victory in itself. Forcing the Bills into third-and-longs should also take some of the stress off the Chargers' secondary, which is still finding its shape after two weeks.
Limit Dalton Kincaid
Linebacker Daiyan Henley and safety Derwin James Jr. have not played their best in coverage through two weeks, ranking 195th and 216th of 267 players with at least 15 coverage snaps in PFF coverage grade. That's led to strong production for tight ends against the Chargers, which could be a problem against Kincaid, who has 225 yards and a touchdown on 12 receptions this season. James is also now practicing with a cast on his hand after suffering a finger injury last week, which could make covering Kincaid even more of an ordeal on Sunday. The Chargers may be able to devote more resources to the former first-rounder if DJ Moore (shoulder) and Keon Coleman (ankle) miss the game, but Josh Allen has also shown a solid connection with slot receiver Khalil Shakir and former Charger Joshua Palmer this season.
Stay connected on the back end
With Elijah Molden (hamstring) out last week, the Chargers had RJ Mickens and Genesis Smith share the defensive backfield at times against the Raiders, giving Tony Jefferson a few reps off throughout the game. That pairing busted a coverage on Tre Tucker's explosive touchdown, however, and Smith looked like a rookie who had been thrust into action with little preparation. The Chargers also busted a coverage on Cody White's second touchdown when they bit strongly on a play fake. LA needs the connection between Jefferson, Mickens, and Smith to solidify, otherwise it's a safe bet that Allen will find and exploit the holes they leave between them.
Bend, don't break
The Chargers have already allowed 52 points this season, the 11th most in the NFL, while Buffalo has scored 77, the most in the league. The Bills did that despite one game against Houston, which many people picked as the league's best defense. But the Bills are also among the ten teams that have allowed more points than LA has this year, so Sunday's game may come down to which defense can stop the opposing offense more. If the Chargers can force Buffalo to settle for field goals, which they've done three times as often as the Bills so far this season, they can reasonably ask the offense to keep pace if Los Angeles is going to win.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' defensive keys to victory vs. Bills in Week 3
