Chargers vs. Bills: Complete Week 3 Preview for San Diego
After knocking off the defending champs a week ago, the San Diego Chargers have now turned their attention to the unbeaten Buffalo Bills for a Week 3 road matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Since 2000, Buffalo has hosted San Diego four times and lost only once during that span. The Chargers last visited Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2008 and fell to the Bills 23-14 in a bizarre game that featured multiple power outages.
San Diego's record at Ralph Wilson Stadium doesn't give much comfort to fans, and the way Buffalo has played these first two weeks of the season only makes its case stronger for an upset. It's early, but wins over the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins deserve credit.
That said, the Chargers know the Bills aren't a team to be taken lightly. Last week's win spoke volumes about the strength of San Diego's team, but consistency has yet to be shown. Mike McCoy's team responded well after the barrage of mistakes in Week 1, but can they keep it together and win on the road?
The Week 3 preview for San Diego starts now.
Chargers Week 2 Recap
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The Chargers didn't disappoint fans in their home opener, shocking the Seahawks 31-20 on a hot day that got up into triple digits. Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates hooked up for three scores in the win, and the San Diego defense did not fold against Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch. In fact, Beast Mode had hardly the day he would have liked with just 36 yards rushing on six carries, and Wilson had trouble escaping the pressure up front.
San Diego's offense held onto the ball for just over 42:15 and left Seattle with only 17:45 minutes to work with. In a nutshell, the Chargers were able to score more points and keep the Seahawks offense off the field.
It was an impressive performance by Rivers, who played with a heavy heart after the recent season-ending injury to his good friend and teammate, Nick Hardwick. The Chargers QB played with a lot of emotion on Sunday and led the Bolts to one of their greatest home victories in quite some time.
The showing by Gates was also captivating as he proved age is just a number. The 34-year-old tight end hauled in seven catches for 96 yards on the day and may have submitted an early nominee for catch of the year with his one-handed, over-the-shoulder grab in the third quarter.
The upset was a well-received boost for the fanbase and may have raised expectations for this season. Having beat one of the best—if not the best—teams in the NFL, the Chargers know they can hang with 31 other teams in 2014.
News and Notes
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Chargers Forced to Trudge on Without Mathews
The MCL sprain that Ryan Mathews suffered in the fourth quarter of last week's game could sideline the running back four to five weeks, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport (h/t CBS Sports). The Chargers lose their bell cow in the backfield, but backup plans are in place thanks to some offseason tinkering by general manager Tom Telesco. In addition to Danny Woodhead, San Diego can also look to Donald Brown to carry the load.
The former Indianapolis Colt proved last season that he could handle a heavy workload and was fairly successful in making the most of his carries with a 5.3-yard average. Brown also presents the Chargers with another set of hands out of the backfield.
Bills Coach and QB Acknowledge Bolts Defense
In a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, Buffalo coach Doug Marrone and quarterback EJ Manuel spoke highly of San Diego's defense. Manuel went so far as to say that the Chargers have "one of the best defenses in the NFL."
Statistically speaking, San Diego's defense ranks in the middle of the pack in most major categories, but the blowback from last week's win over the Super Bowl champs has caught the attention of teams across the league. The Bills witnessed the collapse of Seattle against an aggressive Chargers defense and now assume they'll come out on Sunday with that same fire.
Rivers-to-Gates a Recipe for Success Against the Bills
Rivers and Gates have felt right at home against the Bills. Since 2006, the duo is 2-1 against Buffalo and have combined for 18 completions, 213 yards and three touchdowns. Last week's win was a great example of the strong bond those two share and the chemistry they have on the football field.
Despite getting up there in age, we could see Rivers and Gates continue to exploit the Bills defense.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
| Jahleel Addae | S | Hamstring | Questionable |
| Keenan Allen | WR | Groin | Questionable |
| Jeremiah Attaochu | LB | Hamstring | Questionable |
| Brandon Flowers | CB | Groin | Probable |
| Antonio Gates | TE | Hamstring | Probable |
| Corey Liuget | DE | Ankle | Probable |
| Rich Ohrnberger | C | Back | Probable |
| Johnnie Troutman | G | Back | Probable |
| Chris Davis | CB | Ankle | Probable |
| Melvin Ingram | LB | Hamstring, Hip | Out |
| Ryan Mathews | RB | Knee | Out |
San Diego was dealt a significant blow with the loss of Mathews for an extended period of time as he recovers from an MCL sprain. In the meantime, expect Woodhead and Brown to pick up the slack in the backfield with a possible surprise appearance from undrafted rookie Branden Oliver.
Ingram being forced to sit out this week is another punch to the gut, but the Chargers will fortunately welcome back veteran linebacker Jarret Johnson, who missed the game against Seattle due to his wife giving birth last Sunday. San Diego loses some explosiveness to its pass rush but gains a viable run-stuffer, which will be especially helpful against a Bills squad that has averaged 153 yards rushing the last two games.
On Friday, Williams reported that Addae was a full participant in practice, which could point to the second-year man making his regular-season debut after a long absence that lasted a little over a month. Williams also reported on Friday that Attaochu did not practice with the team. If the rookie linebacker is unable to go Sunday, expect to see more of Tourek Williams and Reggie Walker.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Jason Verrett/Brandon Flowers Versus Sammy Watkins
It's a possibility on Sunday that rookie first-rounders square off in an entertaining matchup in the secondary. Watkins was Manuel's go-to receiver last week against Miami, as the former Clemson star went off for eight catches, 117 yards and a touchdown.
Verrett has also shined in his first taste of action this season and was rated one of the top 10 rookies through Week 2 by Pro Football Focus. The TCU product made his first career start last week against the Seahawks and could be forced to step up again in place of the injured Flowers.
Watkins doesn't tower over Verrett in size, but his speed and freakish catching ability will be difficult to contend with.
San Diego Offensive Line Versus Buffalo Defensive Line
Make no mistake about it, Buffalo is stacked along the defensive line. Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes combined for 41 sacks last season, making them a real nightmare for offensive lines. Despite the loss of Hardwick, San Diego's O-line held up surprisingly well against Seattle, allowing just one sack on Rivers, but Sunday's matchup in the trenches could lead to an all-day struggle up front.
San Diego Defense Versus C.J. Spiller
Spiller's elusive speed makes him a threat as a runner, receiver and returner. At any one moment, No. 28 can find an open lane and be gone. San Diego faced a similar threat in Percy Harvin last week and kept the damage to a minimum. Harvin did score on a 51-yard run but was held in check for the most part in all other areas.
The Chargers need to take that same approach with Spiller and limit his ability to make the big plays.
X-Factor: Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown
With Mathews out, Woodhead and Brown will be seeing an immediate bump up in carries this week, but they'll be standing across from one of the league's better run defenses thus far. Buffalo has allowed just 166 yards through two games and no rushing touchdowns. In order to edge out a victory over the Seahawks, the Chargers relied on the ground game to chew up clock and keep the defense honest, and that's the same formula they'll need to run against Buffalo, especially if rain is on the agenda.
Mike Rodak of ESPN.com pointed out that there is a 40 percent chance of rain on Sunday, which favors a Bills rushing attack more so than San Diego's.
Prediction
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Ralph Wilson Stadium has not been kind to the Chargers, but this team proved last week it has what it takes to get the "W" against tough opponents. San Diego's biggest problem last season was failing to pull out wins against the lesser opponents.
2013 began with a loss to a Houston Texans team that finished with just two wins all season, then the Chargers picked up the win on the road against a Philadelphia Eagles squad that made it to the postseason. San Diego did it again when it lost to the Oakland Raiders in Week 5 then followed with an upset win over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football.
The Chargers can end that slumping trend by winning on Sunday. The Bills have looked impressive during their fast start, but San Diego may have too much offense to counter.
I also look at what Gates did to the Seahawks and wonder how Buffalo bottles him up. Martellus Bennett and Charles Clay combined for 15 catches, 101 yards and a touchdown through two weeks against the Bills, which hints at the fact that Buffalo's defense doesn't play particularly tight coverage on opposing tight ends. Could this be the game Ladarius Green takes on a bigger role?
I like the Chargers to grind out a win on the road and keep alive the momentum they picked up after last week. Buffalo's defense will be tough, but I think Rivers matches up well with a secondary that ranks 26th in passing yards allowed per game (276).
Prediction: Chargers 27, Bills 23
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