3 takeaways from the Los Angeles Chargers' Week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The Los Angeles Chargers fell in a very tightly contested game to the Buffalo Bills by a score of 24-16, and with the loss, the Chargers are now 0-3.
In this game, the Chargers showed the ability to play solid defense and compete with a great team like the Bills, but in the end Los Angeles was not able to make enough plays against Buffalo.
With that said, let's take a look at the top three takeaways from this game for the Chargers in their third straight loss this season.
1. Justin Herbert Needs to Be Better
The first takeaway from this game was that quarterback Justin Herbert has to be better and help this offense to be much more effective.
In this game, Herbert completed 20 of his 34 passes for 226 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while recording a QBR of 29.2. The Bills' secondary did a solid job against Herbert, and it really showed up on the stat sheet.
Throughout Sunday afternoon, Herbert struggled to get into rhythm, which put the offense in tough situations and did not allow Los Angeles to capitalize on key opportunities.
Moving forward, Herbert has to figure out a way to be a lot more efficient when it comes to his passing and put this offense in a position to be able take advantage of opportunities, otherwise this passing game will continue to struggle.
2. Defense Forces 5 Turnovers
On the defensive side, the biggest takeaway was the fact that the Chargers defense was able to force the Bills offense into five turnovers.
During the game on Sunday, the Chargers forced Bills quarterback Josh Allen into two interceptions and a fumble, in addition to forcing one fumble each from running back James Cook and tight end Dalton Kincaid. Over the course of the game, the Los Angeles defense was able to generate great pressure and solid coverage.
In particular, Los Angeles saw a great performance from rookie safety Genesis Smith as he was responsible for both interceptions that the Chargers forced and made a key impact throughout the game. With the performance that Smith and the defense had in this game, the Chargers proved they could hold up defensively even against the top offenses in the NFL.
So, as the Chargers continue to progress through the 2026 season, it will be interesting to watch how this defense performs and if this unit can assert itself as one of the best defenses in the entire NFL.
3. Run Game Was Solid
Getting back to the offensive side, the final takeaway on this list is the fact that the run game was solid for the Chargers. In the game, Los Angeles ran the ball a total of 28 times for 131 yards and an average of 4.7 yards per carry, which was a solid performance and was a key reason that the Chargers were able to move the ball at times.
The top two contributors for the Chargers were running back Omarion Hampton, who had 15 carries for 56 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per carry, and running back Keaton Mitchell, who had eight attempts for 52 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per attempt.
Late in the game, when the Chargers were trailing they had to get away from the run game which put more pressure on the offensive line and Herbert to consistently move the ball through the air based on the situation.
Heading into next week, if the Chargers can lean more on the ground game and move the ball on the ground, that should help to take pressure off Herbert and the offensive line, and could help this offense overall as they aim to pick up their first win of the seaosn.
