Top 3 Individual Matchups
1 – Kelvin Benjamin vs. Trevor WilliamsBenjamin worked with Peterman this offseason as they trained at the same facility prior to spring OTAs. So the two have some prior work time together. Williams has seen a lot of passes playing opposite Casey Hayward, but the second-year corner has played well.
2 – Leonard Johnson vs. Keenan AllenAllen lines up in the slot more than half the time, so Johnson will see a lot of him. Johnson is not facing a burner in Allen, but the Chargers receiver is one of the more precise route runners in the league. That gets him the separation to make plays.
3 - Jordan Mills vs. Joey BosaMills has been steady, but he'll face one of his most challenging matchups in Bosa. The Chargers former first-round pick has 9.5 sacks and his 47 QB pressures rank third in the NFL.
Bills Top 2 Advantages
Good advantage – Kicking gameBuffalo has a reliable kicker in Stephen Hauschka, who not only is kicking at an 89.5 percent success rate, but also regularly reaches the end zone for touchbacks on kickoffs. The Chargers are last in the league in field goal percentage and 31st in touchback percentage. That isn't all on L.A. K Nick Novak, who was signed in October, but he has missed a pair of field goal attempts.
Best advantage – Run gameDespite the inconsistency in Buffalo's run game, they have a decided advantage against the league's worst run defense. Though they held Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette to 1.9 yards per carry last week the Chargers are still giving up more than 135 yards per game on the ground.
Bills Number 1 Must
Win time of possessionBuffalo's offense must stay in manageable down and distance and then convert to keep drives alive. Nate Peterman must make enough plays in the pass game to keep the Los Angeles defense honest and not gang up on the Bills run game. That should keep Buffalo's defense from getting worn out by being on the field too long.
Scouting Eye
Falling short at the finishThe Chargers have been in just about every game they've played this season, but they've only been able to win three of them so far. That's because Los Angeles is struggling to close out games. In fact, stretching back to last season, the Chargers have lost an NFL high eight games after holding a lead in the fourth quarter.
Pass rush comboThe combination of Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa has been downright fierce for the Los Angeles pass defense. The pair lead the league in sacks for a pass rushing duo with 18 quarterback takedowns between them. L.A. ranks 13th in the league in passer rating against with a mark of 85.4.
Struggling special teamsBack in Week 5, the Chargers made a change at kicker releasing Younghoe-Koo and signing veteran Nick Novak, but the problems go far beyond the man who puts the ball on the tee. The Chargers rank near the bottom of the league in a host of kick game categories.
L.A. is last in field goal percentage (58%), last in average drive start after kickoffs (22-yd line), 31st in average drive start overall (25-yd line), 31st in touchback percentage (38%), 30th in kick coverage and 30th in kick return average.
Offense dealing with efficiency issuesWhen it comes to the Chargers offense, it appears they're still trying to find firm footing under new head coach Anthony Lynn. Even though Lynn retained Ken Whisenhunt as offensive coordinator, the efficiency on offense has been lacking. L.A. ranks last in the league in first down efficiency, with only 40 percent of their first down plays gaining four yards or more. They're also 29th in third down conversion percentage (34%) and 23rd in scoring (160). Big plays have also proven hard to come by as they rank 23rd in plays of 20 yards or more (30).
Neutral site?The Chargers temporary home this season and probably next season is the StubHub Center in Carson, California, while they wait for the Rams new stadium to be erected where they will be tenants. The StubHub is a soccer stadium and only seats 27-thousand. In addition the fan following for the Chargers has not migrated north for games, eroding any kind of home field advantage for Los Angeles. Most visiting teams describe it as a neutral site type atmosphere.
Buffalo Chips
Quote of the week"I just expect to win every game I'm out there. I think that's the ultimate goal. What I measure myself on as a quarterback is did we win? It doesn't matter about stats or anything like that. For me it's just about winning. My goal is to win this Sunday."
--QB Nate Peterman
Stat of the weekBuffalo and Los Angeles are each near the bottom of the league when it comes to time of possession. The Bills rank 28th (27:57) and the Chargers rank 30th (27:30).
Milestones in reachCharles Clay needs one touchdown for 25 in his career.
Jordan Matthews needs 74 receiving yards for 3,000 in his career.
Kyle Williams (42) needs two sacks to pass Mario Williams (43) for sixth on the team's all-time sack list.
Final noteThe Chargers have gone more than two and a half games without a red zone possession. They're last red zone touchdown came in the second quarter of their Week 7 game against Denver.
