Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws a pass during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Chargers running back Keaton Mitchell (34) scores a touchdown ahead of Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop (24) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (1) runs from Buffalo Bills linebacker Dorian Williams (42) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III, left, tries to break a tackle by Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still (4) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Buffalo Bills wide receiver DJ Moore (2) is pushed out of bounds by Chargers cornerback Rodney Shelley (24) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, left, talks with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen after an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Chargers’ postgame locker room was nearly silent, save for the sounds of equipment bags being packed for a long flight home and the showers running in another room after another dismal, disappointing loss Sunday, this one a 24-16 defeat to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
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They lost for the third consecutive game despite forcing five turnovers from a Bills offense that was the best in the NFL after two games. They lost because their offense couldn’t play to the level of their defense and failed to score when it mattered most and the game was on the line.
It’s become a defining trait for the Chargers this season.
The Arizona Cardinals outscored the Chargers, 10-0, in the fourth quarter of a 26-14 loss in Week 1. The Las Vegas Raiders outscored them, 9-0, in the fourth quarter of a 26-14 loss in Week 2. The Bills outscored the Chargers, 14-3 in the fourth quarter of their most recent defeat.
The third of Cameron Dicker’s three field goals Sunday accounted for their only fourth-quarter points to date in the 2026 season. Is it any wonder Jim Harbaugh is 0-3 to start a season for the first time in his NFL coaching career? Is it any wonder the Chargers are 0-3 for the first time since starting the 2017 season 0-4?
“Terrible,” Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater said. “I mean, we’re doing it to ourselves. We’ve got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. We have all the ability in the world and we’re falling short when it comes to a critical time to execute. We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to do better.”
Quarterback Justin Herbert had no answers beyond the obvious “we didn’t score enough points today” and “it starts with me” and “obviously not where we want to be.” Herbert completed 20 of 34 passes for 226 yards, a season high, with one touchdown and one interception.
“I don’t think we’re disjointed,” Herbert said when asked why offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s game plan hasn’t clicked yet. “I think we’re just making mistakes that make it harder on ourselves, and it starts with me with the cadence and making sure everyone’s good to go.”
Despite their many penalties, miscues and lackluster offensive play, the Chargers held a tenuous 13-10 lead over the Bills in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Josh Allen having thrown two interceptions and looking somewhat less than an MVP, and with the Bills losing three fumbles.
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When outside linebacker Khalil Mack sacked Allen and forced him to fumble, the Chargers gained possession at the Bills’ 28-yard line with 14:52 remaining in the game. Herbert completed two passes for a total of five yards, but then made an unwise decision on 3rd-and-5 at the 23.
Herbert attempted to zip a pass to newly signed wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling near the goal line with two defenders converging. C.J. Gardner-Johnson got there first, picked off the pass and returned the ball to the 42-yard line. It was the only time Herbert targeted Valdes-Scantling.
“I’m used to this,” Gardner-Johnson told Buffalo reporters. “I’ve been in two Super Bowls (with the Philadelphia Eagles). It ain’t nothing new. Teams like that (the Chargers), that ain’t really been on top, they don’t know how to finish as well. No disrespect. Just that’s what it is.”
Allen then scored on the second of his two 1-yard quarterback sneaks to put Buffalo ahead for good, 17-13. James Cook, who had fumbled on the opening play of the game, scored on a 3-yard run that extended the Bills’ lead to 24-13. The last of Dicker’s field goals made it 24-16 with 1:17 left. The Bills then recovered Dicker’s onside kick.
The Chargers had scored a touchdown on Herbert’s 1-yard pass to running back Keaton Mitchell to cap their opening drive, after Cook’s fumble. They also scored on their first possession of the second half, a 21-yard field goal by Dicker, despite four penalties on the drive.
They were penalized, in order, for an illegal block in the back by tight end Oronde Gadsden, holding by Pro Bowl right tackle Joe Alt, a false start on 2nd-and-goal from the 1-yard line by newly acquired tight end Hayden Rucci and, finally, a false start on 3rd-and-goal from the 6 by right guard Cole Strange.
Dicker was then summoned to kick a field goal on 4th-and-goal from the 3.
After 13 plays covering 69 yards and 8:48, all they got was three points.
Overall, the Chargers were penalized seven times for 50 yards, all in the second half. They had only one turnover, but Herbert’s interception turned the game in the Bills’ direction in no uncertain terms. They were only 1-for-4 while in the red zone, when they drove the ball inside the Bills’ 20-yard line.
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“That was painful,” Harbaugh said. “It really hurts. We didn’t get it done.”