The Chargers enter the hardest part of their schedule with a Sunday showdown against the Bills, who are 2-0 behind fantastic play from quarterback Josh Allen.
Here are a few reasons to be concerned that LA will fall to 0-3 to start the year.
Josh Allen on MVP tear
You could double the number of touchdowns the Chargers have scored this season (4) and still not reach the total Allen has piled up in two games (9) while leading the NFL's best offense. Buffalo's 0.378 EPA/play on offense is 0.105 ahead of any other team - San Francisco is second at 0.273 - a difference that would rank ninth in the league if it were its own team. Allen has maintained his elite athleticism into his age-30 season, but is also processing coverages at the best level he ever has and has found
nearly every throw available in Joe Brady's more aggressive version of the 2025 offense. The Chargers will be without safety Elijah Molden for a second straight game, which puts Tony Jefferson, RJ Mickens, and Genesis Smith on the clock to work out the miscommunications that led to several explosive plays for the Raiders last week.
Missing blockers
David Njoku is on injured reserve. Charlie Kolar narrowly avoided IR after forearm surgery. Kayode Awosika and Trey Pipkins III are out. That leaves the Chargers with Oronde Gadsden II at tight end alongside Hayden Rucci, signed this week from the Jaguars' practice squad after four games of experience with offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel in Miami last year, and practice squad elevation Patrick Herbert, who has never appeared in an NFL game. Trevor Penning is in line to start at left guard with Cole Strange at right guard. Meanwhile, in Buffalo, edge rusher Gregory Rousseau and defensive tackle Deone Walker have been off to All-Pro caliber starts, and star defensive tackle Ed Oliver could return from a hip injury this week. LA will have to rely on tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt and fullback Alec Ingold to spring much of anything against that Bills front.
Tight end coverage
Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid has 12 catches for 225 yards and a touchdown through two games, one of the best starts for a tight end of anyone in the league. The Chargers struggled against a high-end receiver at the position in Week 1 when Cardinals tight end Trey McBride had 9 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown. Safety Derwin James Jr. is now practicing in a cast after injuring his finger against the Raiders, but neither he nor linebacker Daiyan Henley have been at their best in coverage even before James was injured. They've combined to allow 12 receptions for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns in coverage this season and rank 195th and 216th of 267 players with at least 15 coverage snaps in PFF coverage grade. Buffalo can also utilize Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes in the passing game, which makes a bounceback game for James and Henley all the more important.
Run game woes
Even before losing Njoku, Kolar, and Awosika, the Chargers' run game has been struggling, ranking 29th in yards before contact. 63.8% of LA's carries have resulted in contact at or behind the line of scrimmage, forcing Omarion Hampton to break tackles at a high rate just to claw to an early down success rate that ranks 16th in the league. Buffalo has been one of the league's worst run defenses through the first two weeks of the season, so it's possible Hampton and the run game can get on track, but that makes the losses up front sting even more as that possibility seems further off. Curiously, LA has also been a more effective gap-running team despite mostly employing outside zone runs in the first two games.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: 4 causes for concern for Chargers against the Bills in Week 3
