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Chargers vs. Bills: What Are Experts Saying About Buffalo?

Justin NeumanSep 18, 2014

After an impressive 2-0 start, the Buffalo Bills have their work cut out for them in Week 3. Fresh off their win over the defending Super Bowl champs, the San Diego Chargers come to Orchard Park to face off with the Bills on Sunday.

For the Bills to leave Ralph Wilson Stadium with another victory, they will have to stick to the formula they used through the first two weeks. EJ Manuel needs to minimize his mistakes and lean on the run game to control the pace. Another strong defensive performance and some Sammy Watkins sprinkled in will be beneficial too.

But that's just one man's opinion. Let's take a look at what some other educated football minds think about this exciting Week 3 matchup. What are some of the national experts saying about this game? Read on to find out and get our take on what the talking heads think.

Matt Miller: No Faith in Bills

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Let's start with one of Bleacher Report's in-house experts.

Matt Miller, a lead NFL and NFL draft analyst for B/R, ruffled the feathers of Bills fans earlier this week. Miller tweeted that he would make his profile picture the Bills logo for a week if the Bills beat the Chargers on Sunday. Miller then concluded his tweet with the hashtag "#ainthappening."

As you can probably imagine, Bills fans on Twitter all but stormed Miller's house with pitchforks. It got to the point where Miller started trending in Buffalo, to which he said, "Go Bills." Miller went on to say he is a "big fan" of the Bills' defensive talent, but he is confident in the Chargers' talent.

The Bills are used to being doubted. After all, they've been one of the league's doormats for over a decade. No one thought they would beat the Chicago Bears in Week 1, and yet they did. Likewise, few thought they could beat the Miami Dolphins after the Fish stomped the Patriots, and then the Bills dispatched the Dolphins with ease.

So let the doubters keep doubting. The Bills can continue to ride the "nobody believes in us" wave. The Ralph will be packed again for Sunday's game, allowing the team to feed off another wild crowd. The Bills certainly have the talent to go toe-to-toe with the Bolts (more on that shortly), so a Bills win isn't totally out of the question.

Combine that with the atmosphere, the possibility for a Chargers letdown after the win over Seattle and the effect of a West Coast team traveling east for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, and you have the recipe for Miller to be eating his words and repping the Bills for a week.

Marshall Faulk: Are the Bills Talented Enough?

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Besides NFL writers, some players-turned-analysts are also still skeptical of the 2-0 Bills. Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk asked Buffalo fans on Twitter to convince him the Bills have the skill to keep up with the Chargers on Sunday.

These aren't the same Bills as when Faulk was still lacing them up. This Bills team has arguably as much talent as any since the Jim Kelly era.

We can start with Buffalo's newest toy: rookie receiver Sammy Watkins. The talented youngster had his coming-out party against the Dolphins, grabbing eight passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Watkins accounted for exactly half of EJ Manuel's completions on the afternoon. Watkins consistently abused the Dolphins secondary, coming open over and over on crossing routes.

Besides Watkins, the Bills have a diverse group of receivers including speedster Marquise Goodwin, route-running ace Robert Woods and Mike "Throw It To The Clouds" Williams. The rest of the crew hasn't gotten involved yet on the stat sheet, but its talent had to be respected against the Dolphins, and it helped free up Watkins.

You can also ask Miami just how talented C.J. Spiller is. He broke off a nice 47-yard run late in the game and left Dolphins special teamers in the dust on a 102-yard kickoff-return touchdown. Make no mistake: Spiller is a home run threat every time he touches the ball.

And the defense? Forget it. The Bills have three Pro Bowlers and another double-digit sack man on the defensive line. They can wreck a game by themselves. The linebacker group is also improved, with Nigel Bradham turning the corner, Brandon Spikes in the middle and surprise rookie Preston Brown, who has played every defensive snap so far for Buffalo.

And the secondary can get it done too. The surprise of the secondary has to be Corey Graham, who has been brilliant in the team's first two games. Add in reliable kicker Dan Carpenter and punter Colton Schmidt (he's dropped seven of his nine punts inside the 20), and it's easy to see the talent is there for the Bills to hang with San Diego.

Herm Edwards: 'The Fanbase Is Excited'

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Are they ever.

On a recent NFL Live segment, Herm Edwards picked the Bills to win while saying "they're finding ways to win" and "they've got a nice front" on defense.

We already covered the talent the Bills have on defense, but as Edwards mentioned, the crowd is what could be a deciding factor in this game. The Bills mean about as much to Buffalo as a team can mean to a city, and the fans are beyond excited the team is going to stay for the long haul.

That showed in Week 2 against the Dolphins when the team fed off the energy of the crowd and didn't give the Dolphins a chance to get into the game. With another good team coming to town and a chance to improve to 3-0, you can bet the sold-out crowd will be raucous again.

And as we mentioned, San Diego is traveling all the way across the country after a physical battle with the Seahawks. If the crowd and the defense can make life difficult for Philip Rivers, the Bills can prove Edwards right.

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Brian Dawkins Believes in Chargers' Balanced Attack

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Edwards' co-analyst on NFL Live, Brian Dawkins, doesn't agree with Edwards. Dawkins picked the Chargers to win based on their balanced offense.

Dawkins noted that the Chargers ran 37 times and passed 37 times against the Seahawks and that they will use that balance again to best the Bills. But with Ryan Mathews sidelined with an MCL sprain, it is going to be harder for the Chargers to get it going on the ground.

In addition, the Chargers had the benefit of playing the Seahawks at home, and this week they will be on the road in a difficult environment. If the Bills defensive line can get in Philip Rivers' face, it can disrupt a passing game that has been humming early for San Diego.

In addition, if the Bills continue to rely on their run game, they can keep Rivers on the sideline and limit his effectiveness. If EJ Manuel can protect the ball when he does have to throw, that will also go a long way for the Bills.

CBS Sports Analysts Back the Chargers

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Pete Prisco and Pat Kirwan of CBS Sports are also behind the Chargers on the road.

One of the main things to take away from Prisco and Kirwan's discussion is what impact Chargers safety Eric Weddle can have on the game. Prisco said Weddle is adept at reading quarterbacks' eyes and jumping routes for interceptions.

Because of that, Weddle has the potential to derail the Bills in this game. EJ Manuel had problems in the preseason staring down receivers. If he locks on to a target, Weddle can come in and pick off Manuel and set the Chargers offense up with excellent field position.

The Chargers offense is good enough. The Bills can't afford to set it up with a short field. Weddle will likely always have one eye on Watkins, so Manuel needs to get his other weapons more involved to keep the Chargers defenders honest.

Of course, the Bills are hoping to stick to the blueprint from the first two weeks and have Manuel manage the game instead of throwing it all over the lot. So far, Manuel has been making good decisions. If he continues to do so, the Bills will have a chance to win.

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