Top 3 things we learned from Bills vs. Chargers | Week 3

Sep 27, 2026 at 06:46 PM

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Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Chargers, Regular Season, September 27, 2026 at Highmark Stadium.

The Bills improved to 3-0 on Sunday, overcoming five turnovers and a double-digit deficit to defeat the Chargers 24-16 at Highmark Stadium.

While Buffalo left plenty to clean up heading into Week 4, timely defensive plays and a strong performance from its running backs helped preserve an unbeaten start. Here are the top three things we learned from the Bills' victory.

1 — Bills reflect on five turnover day

Right after the Week 2 victory over the Lions, Bills head coach Joe Brady compared some of Buffalo's early-season blemishes to smoke detectors — little warning signs that could wreak havoc if the miscues grew, even with a 2-0 start.

After a five-turnover afternoon against the Chargers, the Bills were fortunate to escape with a win.

"The house was on fire today," Brady said, keeping with the analogy.

What Brady later added was a mix of praise for his 3-0 team, and criticism for his own self for how he prepared the team.

"That's purely a reflection of me," Brady said. "You turn the ball over five times in a game, you're not going to win many games… learning a lot about the team as we go, I'm proud of the defense and just their response."

Bills QB Josh Allen, who threw two interceptions on back-to-back plays in the first half and later fumbled on the first play of the fourth quarter, felt fortunate that the Bills managed to go into halftime tied 10-10.

"It felt like a dream to be honest," Allen said.

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Allen's three turnovers were the most he's had in a regular season game since Week 18 at Miami in the 2023 season. Bills RB James Cook fumbled on the first snap of the game and TE Dalton Kincaid fumbled in the second half trying to fight for extra yards after a reception.

Coming into Sunday, the Bills had lost 16 straight games when committing five or more turnovers. Their last win came in 1997 against the Indianapolis Colts, then quarterbacked by current Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh.

In addition to the giveaways, Buffalo committed 10 penalties. Brady shared that while this next week will require a lot of self reflection on how to eliminate negative plays, he is proud of how the team fought through the tough moments.

"They didn't blink, they just kept going, and we knew we were going to have to play 60 minutes, and that says a lot about the character in that locker room," Brady said. "It wasn't perfect… But all I remember is we found a way to go 1-0."

2 — C.J. Gardner Johnson changes the momentum

Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner Johnson turned the tide of the game with his end zone interception of Chargers QB Justin Herbert in the fourth quarter. The play came on the heels of Allen's fumble which occurred three plays prior in L.A. territory.

Herbert was targeting former Bills WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the red-painted end zone but Gardner-Johnson read the QB's eyes and ran in front of the pass to take the ball away and return it to the Buffalo 41 yard line.

Gardner-Johnson shared postgame that he believes he "baited" Herbert into making the throw.

"I told the corners and nickels to go press. Now I'm over the top, no matter where you are at, and I'm gonna come get you," he said.

The Bills capitalized on the INT and scored on the ensuing possession to take their first lead of the game on Allen's 1-yard sneak.

"Huge play from him," Allen said. "He's been in this league a long time and he's going to continue to make plays for us."

Gardner-Johnson showed resiliency as he had to briefly leave the game with what appeared to be a back injury. He returned later on and made his first interception as a Bill. Gardner-Johnson has now recorded at least one INT in every season since coming into the league in 2019.

3 — Bills running backs provide big boost

The Bills welcomed back RB Ty Johnson to the lineup Sunday after he missed the previous two games with a hamstring injury. Johnson finished second on the team in receiving with 50 yards on four catches.

"Ty's energy, his confidence, his playmaking ability… it was good to get Ty back," Brady said.

Johnson's biggest impact came in the fourth quarter when he had a catch and run of 29 yards to convert a 4th-and-6 from the L.A. 43-yard line. The play was initially ruled a touchdown but was negated by a holding call. Still, the Bills managed to take a 17-13 lead a few plays later on a QB sneak by Allen.

"Keon got double teamed and I just made myself available, found open grass and Josh saw me," Johnson said of the conversion.

Johnson added that the route is designed for him to release out of the backfield, but it's important to adjust as the play develops and make himself visible to Allen.

"When the coverage changes, or Josh starts scrambling, it's really just look around and find an open window," Johnson explained. "You don't want to crowd a [throwing] window with another receiver because then you have double coverage and you have a chance to have the ball intercepted or a pass breakup. So it's really just being friendly to Josh and letting him get it to you."

The running backs were a big reason Buffalo erased a 10-point deficit after the opening quarter. While Johnson had his production as a receiver, James Cook did his damage on the ground.

The 2025 rushing champion shook off the fumble on his first carry of the day, finishing with his second consecutive 100-yard performance of the season. Cook led the backfield with 154 rush yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

95 of his yards came in the second half, including a three-yard touchdown carry in the fourth quarter to put the Bills ahead by two scores. 8 of Cook's 24 carries resulted in a first down and his 154 rushing yards were his third most in a game in his career.