The Los Angeles Chargers head east on Sunday to take on the Buffalo Bills in a crucial AFC Week 3 matchup. These teams are in two wildly different places, as the Bills are 2-0 and looking like one of the best teams in the league, while the Chargers are shockingly 0-2 and may be one of the worst teams—and definitely the most disappointing team relative to expectations—in the NFL through two games.
This is pro football, though, and we all know the “on any given Sunday…” cliche, so you never know what could happen in Western New York at 1 pm ET. That said, we'll peer into our crystal ball and make some Chargers-Bills bold predictions for their Week 3 clash.
The Chargers' offense will look better
Part of the Chargers being the most disappointing team in the league over the first two weeks is the complete offensive ineptitude. Over two weeks, the Chargers' offense has averaged just 289 yards per game and has five turnovers. And that's after recovering five of their six fumbles last Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
This is not what the Chargers were supposed to look like with Justin Herbert, the football analytics community's darling, pairing up with “offensive genius” Mike McDaniels. Together, these two were supposed to do great things. However, so far they've produced just 370 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Our first bold Chargers-Bills prediction is that the visiting team's offense will start to look better on Sunday. There are a few reasons for this. One is that the Bills' defense hasn't hit its stride yet. Under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, the D is making more splash plays in crucial moments, but the overall stopping power of this unit isn't there yet. With a weak secondary and a spotty pass rush, look for Herbert to have a better outing in Week 3.
The other reason is simply that Herbert and company couldn't really be much worse. The QB's relationship with his OC is still new, so there are bound to be some growing pains, just like on the Bills' defense. In Week 3, McDaniels should be able to iron out some of those issues against an AFC East team he knows well, thanks to his time as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Josh Allen will add to his MVP case
In Week 2, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had 248 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, no interceptions, 68 rushing yards, and two more TDs on the ground. And he was sick!
Allen's Flu Game was as good or better than any QB in the NFL right now, and with nine total scores through two games, he is the early favorite to win his second NFL MVP Award.
These bonkers numbers will continue on Sunday as our next bold Week 3 Chargers-Bills prediction is that Allen will continue to roll. Los Angeles' defense has been almost as bad as its offense, allowing 349 yards and 26 points per game in Weeks 1 and 2. And that was against Jacoby Brissett and Kirk Cousins. So, it looks as if Allen will have a field day against this team.
Bills 38, Chargers 24
Buffalo is favored by a touchdown in this game, and they should win by that and then some. Even if LA starts to get it bairings on offense, Allen and the offense are simply playing too well right now to be outscored by a team still figuring things out. Take into account that the Chargers are also coming all the way east to play a 1 pm ET (10 am PT) game, and you have a recipe for a comfortable Bills' W.
There are some things to worry about in Western New York. The Chargers are a desperate team now, and losing this game may effectively be the end of their 2026 season, with the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams coming in the next five weeks. Plus, Allen may not have his biggest pass-catching weapon if D.J. Moore sits out with his shoulder injury.
Still, Allen is playing at a level that looks unstoppable right now, while Herbert is decidedly not. That is enough to make our final bold Chargers-Bills prediction that Buffalo will win this game comfortably.