Buffalo Bills: 4 questions with Chargers writer about Week 12

Find out more about the Buffalo Bills’ Week 12 opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers, from Jason Reed at Bolts Beat.

The Buffalo Bills are preparing to face the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday and I had a chance to talk with Jason Reed, site expert at Bolts Beat, to get some insight about the Chargers.

Question 1: One of the biggest storylines of the NFL has been the play of Justin Herbert. What do you think the Bills defense will need to do to slow him down?

Jason Reed: I would say pressure him but Herbert has been the best quarterback in the league under pressure this season. I think the Bills’ best bet is to disguise pre-snap reads to confuse the rookie, although his teammates (Hunter Henry) have said that Herbert is already making big leaps in pre-snap reads.

Unfortunately, the playcalling on the Chargers has been fairly lackluster and if the Bills commit to stopping the pass the Chargers will run the ball more than they should, essentially taking the ball out of Herbert’s hand.

Question 2: The Chargers have two excellent pass rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. However, they have struggled this year. What do you think the issue has been?

Jason Reed: Bosa has been decent, he had a concussion in Denver that hurt his play and missed some time because of it. His five sacks this season are not tremendous and he is getting pressure on the quarterback.

The same can be said for Ingram. Both guys are on pace to at least match their total pressures from last year. The problem is that they have not been finishing the sacks and I think the blame can be pointed at the pass defense and secondary, which has been terrible. They’re getting pressure to the QB but coverages have been getting blown so quickly.

Question 3: Buffalo Bills fans know Anthony Lynn well from his time with the team. What is the general consensus on Lynn and do you think he is on the hot seat?

Jason Reed: Charger fans are not very happy with Lynn and I absolutely think he is on the hot seat. Since he is such a good player’s coach I think the front office will keep him around into next season (he also signed an extension before the season).

However, his situational decision-making and the overall lack of execution down the stretch has been really upsetting to watch. Personally, I think he would be perfect as a college coach because of his potential to recruit and shape the lives of younger players. I am not sure he is a great NFL head coach.

Question 4: What do you think is the key to this game and do you have a final score prediction?

Jason Reed: If Austin Ekeler truly does play then the Chargers have a better chance than some may think. The offense isn’t the problem and I am so excited to watch this game because it should be an offensive slugfest. Having Ekeler back will allow the team to execute better down the stretch, which is key.

At the end of the day, though, I think the Chargers need to hope that Josh Allen makes some of the mistakes he would make in his first two years to lose this game. Obviously, Allen has been tremendous this season.

I think the Chargers cover 5.5 points and it’ll come down to a Josh Allen game-winning drive.