The Buffalo Bills rallied from a three-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 on September 27, 2026 at Highmark Stadium, improving to 3-0.
Quarter-by-Quarter
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAC | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| BUF | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
Buffalo spent most of Sunday making life unnecessarily difficult, turning the ball over five times before James Cook finally helped drag the Bills out of the mess. Cook ran for 154 yards on 24 carries, and his late 3-yard touchdown put the finishing touch on a 14-point fourth quarter as Buffalo rallied past Los Angeles 24-16. Josh Allen had one of his rougher afternoons, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble, but when Buffalo needed him most, he went back to what makes him dangerous. His second 1-yard rushing touchdown gave the Bills their first lead with 7:35 remaining. DJ Moore also played through the shoulder issue that had him questionable entering Sunday and led Buffalo with six catches for 67 yards.
The wild part is Los Angeles had every opportunity to steal this game. Rookie safety Genesis Smith intercepted Allen twice in the first half — becoming the first Chargers rookie with multiple picks in a game since 2024 — and the Chargers forced five Buffalo turnovers overall. Yet they turned all that chaos into only 16 points. Justin Herbert threw for 226 yards and a touchdown, but C.J. Gardner-Johnson picked him off and Greg Rousseau wrecked drives with two sacks and four tackles for loss. Buffalo entered the fourth trailing 13-10, then finally stopped beating itself. Cook took over, Allen punched in the go-ahead score and an ugly afternoon somehow turned into another Bills win.
Postgame Statistical Breakdown
Team Stats
| Stat | Los Angeles Chargers | Buffalo Bills |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 16 | 24 |
| Total Offensive Yards | 348 | 350 |
| Passing Yards | 217 | 174 |
| Rushing Yards | 131 | 176 |
| Total Plays | 64 | 63 |
| Yards Per Play | 5.4 | 5.6 |
| First Downs | 20 | 22 |
| Third Downs | 6-15 | 6-12 |
| Third-Down % | 40.0% | 50.0% |
| Fourth Downs | 0-1 | 2-2 |
| Passing TDs | 1 | 0 |
| Rushing TDs | 0 | 3 |
| Total Offensive TDs | 1 | 3 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 5 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 3 |
| Sacks Allowed | 2 | 4 |
| Penalties | 7 | 10 |
| Penalty Yards | 50 | 88 |
| Time of Possession | 31:22 | 28:38 |
Passing
Los Angeles Chargers
- Justin Herbert — 20/34, 58.8%, 226 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT, 6.6 YPA, 2 SACK, 76.3 RTG, 24.7 QBR
Buffalo Bills
- Josh Allen — 16/26, 61.5%, 204 YDS, 0 TD, 2 INT, 7.8 YPA, 4 SACK, 54.0 RTG, 48.9 QBR
Rushing
Los Angeles Chargers
- Omarion Hampton — 15 CAR, 56 YDS, 3.7 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 10
- Keaton Mitchell — 8 CAR, 52 YDS, 6.5 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 17
Buffalo Bills
- James Cook III — 24 CAR, 154 YDS, 6.4 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 23, 1 FUM
- Josh Allen — 8 CAR, 22 YDS, 2.8 AVG, 2 TD, LONG 8, 1 FUM
Receiving
Los Angeles Chargers
- Tre’ Harris — 6 REC, 7 TGT, 76 YDS, 12.7 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 29
- Ladd McConkey — 4 REC, 5 TGT, 66 YDS, 16.5 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 29
- Quentin Johnston — 3 REC, 6 TGT, 40 YDS, 13.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 21
- Alec Ingold — 3 REC, 4 TGT, 35 YDS, 11.7 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 25
- Kimani Vidal — 1 REC, 3 TGT, 14 YDS, 14.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 14
Buffalo Bills
- DJ Moore — 6 REC, 10 TGT, 67 YDS, 11.2 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 16
- Ty Johnson — 4 REC, 4 TGT, 50 YDS, 12.5 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 29
- Dalton Kincaid — 2 REC, 3 TGT, 38 YDS, 19.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 24
- Keon Coleman — 1 REC, 2 TGT, 37 YDS, 37.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 37
- Khalil Shakir — 1 REC, 3 TGT, 6 YDS, 6.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 6
Scoring Plays
| Qtr | Clock | Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 10:33 | Los Angeles Chargers | Keaton Mitchell 1-yard pass from Justin Herbert (Cameron Dicker kick) | LAC 7, BUF 0 |
| Q1 | 0:34 | Los Angeles Chargers | Cameron Dicker 31-yard field goal | LAC 10, BUF 0 |
| Q2 | 6:02 | Buffalo Bills | Tyler Bass 28-yard field goal | LAC 10, BUF 3 |
| Q2 | 0:16 | Buffalo Bills | Josh Allen 1-yard run (Tyler Bass kick) | LAC 10, BUF 10 |
| Q3 | 6:12 | Los Angeles Chargers | Cameron Dicker 21-yard field goal | LAC 13, BUF 10 |
| Q4 | 7:35 | Buffalo Bills | Josh Allen 1-yard run (Tyler Bass kick) | LAC 13, BUF 17 |
| Q4 | 3:13 | Buffalo Bills | James Cook III 3-yard run (Tyler Bass kick) | LAC 13, BUF 24 |
| Q4 | 1:56 | Los Angeles Chargers | Cameron Dicker 33-yard field goal | LAC 16, BUF 24 |
Defense
Los Angeles Chargers
- Genesis Smith — 5 TOT, 2 SOLO, 2 INT, 1 INT YDS, 2 PD
- Tuli Tuipulotu — 6 TOT, 5 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1.5 SACK, 2 QBH
- Daiyan Henley — 9 TOT, 5 SOLO, 2 FR
- Khalil Mack — 3 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 2 QBH
- Akheem Mesidor — 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 1 QBH
- Tony Jefferson — 2 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 PD, 1 FR
- Troy Dye — 6 TOT, 4 SOLO, 1 PD
- Nick Barrett — 3 TOT, 1 SOLO, 0.5 SACK, 1 QBH
- Del’Shawn Phillips — 5 TOT, 3 SOLO
- Justin Eboigbe — 3 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 QBH
Buffalo Bills
- Greg Rousseau — 8 TOT, 5 SOLO, 4 TFL, 2 SACK, 3 QBH
- C.J. Gardner-Johnson — 5 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 INT, 41 INT YDS, 2 PD
- Dorian Williams — 9 TOT, 4 SOLO
- Davison Igbinosun — 6 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 PD
- Ed Oliver — 1 TOT, 1 SOLO, 3 QBH
- Bradley Chubb — 3 TOT, 2 QBH
- Dee Alford — 5 TOT, 1 PD
- Landon Jackson — 4 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 PD
- Cole Bishop — 5 TOT, 4 SOLO
- Terrel Bernard — 5 TOT, 3 SOLO
Kick Returns
Los Angeles Chargers
- Keaton Mitchell — 2 KR, 52 YDS, 26.0 AVG, LONG 28, 0 TD
Buffalo Bills
- Greg Dortch — 3 KR, 92 YDS, 30.7 AVG, LONG 39, 0 TD
Punt Returns
Los Angeles Chargers
- Derius Davis — 1 PR, 14 YDS, 14.0 AVG, LONG 14, 0 TD
Buffalo Bills
- Greg Dortch — 1 PR, 8 YDS, 8.0 AVG, LONG 8, 0 TD
