Last minute Bills news and rumors ahead of their Week 3 matchup vs the Chargers

We've got some last-minute Bills news and rumors that you need to know ahead of Week 3's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bills are back at home and are well-rested after a Thursday night win against the Lions last week. Meanwhile, the Chargers are flying across country and are desperate for a win after a nightmare start to their season. This is the tale of two teams headed in polar opposite directions, which means this should be an easy win for the Bills on paper. But as you all know, in the NFL, nothing is ever quite that easy. So today, I'll be giving my five keys to the game of what you need to know for this afternoon's matchup between the Bills and the Chargers. But first, welcome in everybody to Bills Digest. I'm Ben Volker, and here at Bills Digest, we've got you covered with all things related to the Buffalo Bills, whether it be news, rumors, matchup analysis, or reactions, we've got you covered here at Bills Digest. So if you don't want to miss a thing, make sure to go ahead and hit subscribe so that you can stay up to date on content just like this. And like I said, guys, these are two teams that are headed in exact opposite directions. The Bills coming into this one at 2-0, looking to stay undefeated, while the Chargers are coming in at 0-2, looking for their first win of the season after dropping back-to-back home matchups against the Raiders and the Cardinals, two of the worst teams in the entire league last year. So this is a Chargers team that is very much so desperate for a win, and especially considering they have an absolute gauntlet of a stretch coming up, starting with this Bills game today. But we will get into all of that in just a second. But first, I've got to let you guys know that today's video is sponsored by Calshi. And on Calshi, you're trading directly against other users, not the house, like traditional sports books. 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Let's get right into my keys of the game for today. Starting with number one, of course, being put pressure on Justin Herbert. Because guys, look, this Chargers offensive line might be the worst in the league. Coming into the season, they were the worst in the league. They lost their starting center, Tyler Bjotish, out for the season. And outside of that, they just have been wrecked by injuries everywhere else. Let's take a look at what this O-line for the Chargers is going to be looking like later this afternoon. They've got Rashaun Slater, Trevor Penning, Jake Slaughter, Cole Strange, and Joe Alt. They have a third-string left guard there in Trevor Penning, rookie center in Jake Slaughter, and Cole Strange is just straight-up bad. He's just not been good at all this year. So, this is the perfect opportunity for that Bills defensive front that has been very, very good so far this year to get even more time in the sun and just get after Justin Herbert. I've said it every week. I said it, get after C.J. Stroud. They did. I said, get after Jared Goff. They did. Once again, go and get after Justin Herbert. Apply the pressure early. Apply the pressure often. I would love to see another great game out of Deion Walker. I'd love to see another great game out of Greg Rousseau. If Ed Oliver is playing, it's still yet to be determined. If Ed Oliver is playing, get him getting pressure on Justin Herbert. Bradley Chubb, I'd like to see what he does, too. There is a lot of guys on this Bills defensive front that could make a statement today. Now, let's get on to the second key of the game here, which I think is a Benford bounceback because guys, look, Christian Benford has not been good so far this season. He's probably been one of the weakest players on defense for the Bills. And as a whole, for this Bills secondary, they have not been that good. Now, they have been matched up with some very, very downfield receiver threats, like Nico Collins or Amonra St. Brant that have just gone crazy, especially in coverage against Benford. And I mean, here are the stats. They speak for themselves here. Let's just go ahead, pull this up because, yeah, like this tweet says that the secondary struggles, they start with Christian Benford because he's supposed to be the guy to lead this secondary. He's faced a team high 18 targets. He's allowed 10 receptions, 118 yards, and two touchdowns. He's been targeted on 32% of man coverage reps, up from his rate of 18.1% last season. And that's from NextGenSets. Teams have been realizing that Christian Benford has been struggling. He's been one step behind the receiver on almost every single play. And it's led to big games from Nico Collins and Amonra St. Brant. So, Christian Benford needs a bounce back performance in this game. Whether he's covering Ladd-McConkie or Quentin Johnston or Trey Harris, whoever it may be, he's got to show that he's still got it with this team if the Bills want to win this game. All right, let's go on to number three, my third key of the game. That being what wide receivers will play. We know DJ Moore, he's dealing with an AC joint sprain. He is a game time decision. Keon Coleman dealing with an ankle injury. He is, excuse me, he is also a game time decision. So, will DJ Moore play? Will Keon Coleman play? Will one of them play and not the other? We don't know. Will they both play? That is to be determined. But I want to take a look at what this team would look like if neither one goes. Because then you're looking at a starting three of Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, and maybe Skylar Bell gets to start. If both Keon Coleman and DJ Moore are unable to go, we will definitely be seeing Skylar Bell in this game, 100%. But let's start with what we know about DJ Moore as of right now. This is the latest on DJ Moore. There was a report from Cameron Wolfe yesterday. He said that DJ Moore, if he is going to play against the Chargers, he will be taking pain killing injections. So clearly, DJ Moore still in a lot of pain. But as we've been talking about all week, DJ Moore is not the type of guy to miss games. But if Moore or Keon Coleman can't play, we're both 50-50 as you see there at the bottom. Skylar Bell, he's the guy that we've been waiting for. You guys have been clamoring for some Skylar Bell action. This is the opportunity. And Skylar Bell, he is ready to go and he is ready to play. This is a quote he said earlier this week when he was talking to the media. He said, once they throw me out there, it's time to go. Let's lock in. To what capacity we see Skylar Bell, that remains to be determined. Maybe we'll also see Greg Dortch get some targets. He's been called up from the practice squad the first two games. He is officially signed to the Bills active roster now. So maybe he sees some action in the offensive game outside of special teams. And then maybe if both Moore and Keon Coleman are not able to go, maybe we see Trent Shurfield come up. I was very high on Trent Shurfield out of preseason. I'm happy he retained with the Bills practice squad. And maybe this is the opportunity where he gets called up and to get some action with the Bills also. But there is one pass catcher that we are not forgetting about. That, of course, being Dalton Kincaid, who has had an absolutely monster start to his 2026 campaign. Now, Dalton Kincaid, I've been saying for years, if he can stay healthy, he is a major threat for the Bills. And that has paid off so far. Because let's go ahead and look at what he's done throughout the first two games of the year here. Game one, he recorded a 130-yard performance and was basically a safety valve for Josh Allen. Whenever he got in trouble, it seemed like Dalton Kincaid was there 30 yards down the field, open and ready to catch the ball. And then last week, he had seven catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. He leads the Bills in receiving yards. And now he gets this Chargers defense that has allowed explosive plays to quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins and Jacoby Brissett throughout the first two games. So imagine a combination of Dalton Kincaid with Josh Allen. What they could do to a Chargers secondary. Very, very scary there in Buffalo. And the Chargers should definitely be worried about Dalton Kincaid. But let's get on to my fifth key of the game. That, of course, being avoiding the trap game. Look, I said this team on paper is better than the Chargers in almost every aspect. But we know in the past, Bills teams have played down to their opponents big time. We talked about it, whether it be the Miami game last year, or the Atlanta game last year, or even a game where they escape with a win, like the Giants a few years ago, or the Broncos game from a few years ago. There are plenty of examples throughout the 2020s of the Bills blowing games that they should win, just like this one. But that was the Sean McDermott era. It looks like Joe Brady and his team is not taking the Chargers for granted. Which I wouldn't blame them if they did, because they have a big Week 4 matchup against the New England Patriots. But you can't overlook the Chargers, because this was projected to be a playoff team preseason. And the Bills know that they can't overlook this Chargers team. Let's just take a look at what Bradley Chubb said earlier this week about this being a potential trap game. Because look, they know that the Chargers are desperate for a win in a season that has gone awry for the Chargers so far. But he said, I feel like every team in the NFL is desperate. We're desperate. We're trying to get to 3-0. And that's a great mentality for the Bills to look at it. You gotta stay undefeated. Who cares about the Patriots if you can't stay undefeated? Make sure to secure this win, and then set your sights on New England. I think that is a great mentality for the Bills. They've got to avoid the trap game. But let me know what you guys think. What will today's final score be? Leave your score predictions down in the comments. Obviously, I think that the Bills are going to run away with this one. 31-10 is my final prediction for this one. And of course, go Bills there. And that's it. That's my keys for the game. Hopefully, all of you guys enjoy this one this afternoon. I know I certainly will. If you are going to the game, let me know down in the comments. And if not, let me know where you're watching from. But here's my keys to the game one more time, if you want to just take a look at that. But as always, thanks for watching. Enjoy the game today. And of course, go Bills.