It’s not often that a team can turn the ball over five times and win.
But that’s exactly what happened in Buffalo on Sunday, with the Bills coming from behind to defeat the Chargers 24-16.
Los Angeles was able to get off to a 10-0 lead after a fumble from James Cook on the first play from scrimmage and an interception on Buffalo’s third drive.
But the Bills were able to tie it up at 10-10 with Josh Allen’s 1-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter. Allen had set it up with a 37-yard pass to Keon Coleman with little time before the break.
The Bills had three turnovers in the first half. While they had two more fumbles in the second half, the Chargers punted after one and Justin Herbert threw an interception deep in the red zone on the second.
Josh Allen powered his way in for another 1-yard touchdown with 7:35 left in the contest to give the Bills their first lead of the day. Then James Cook was actually allowed to run in a touchdown, taking it in from 3 yards out to put the game away.
Aside from his fumble, Cook had an excellent day — rushing for 154 yards on 24 carries with his TD.
Allen finished 16-of-26 for 204 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble. He had 22 yards on eight carries with two TDs.
On the other side, Herbert was 20-of-34 for 226 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
That was Los Angeles’ lone giveaway of the game, but the +4 advantage in turnover margin was not enough.
With the victory, the Bills are now 3-0. They’ll stay at home to host the Patriots next Sunday.
The Chargers are 0-3 and staring down the barrel of a long season. They will be on the road to face the defending-champion Seahawks next Sunday.