The Buffalo Bills entered Week 3 as league darlings. The team was coming off a huge win on Thursday Night Football in Week 2 against the Lions, and hosted the 0-2 L.A. Chargers with a chance to start the year 3-0 for the third consecutive season. Instead, things fell to pieces, and Buffalo had to struggle through an ugly game to come out on top.
But what did this nigh-unwatchable mistake-a-thon actually teach us? Let's get into that.
3 key takeaways from Bills' way-too-closer win
Jim Leonhard deserves credit
The Buffalo Bills defense has earned it's fair share of criticism over the first two weeks. They allowed 31 points in each contest, one of the worst marks in the league to start the season. They faced two tough offenses, and made some clutch stops in each win, but the criticism was still valid.
In Week 3, Jim Leonhard was vindicated. The defense came alive, allowing just 10 total points on 5 offensive turnovers. Despite a couple of injuries, including finishing the game without star CB Christian Benford who went down with a toe injury, the defense stood tall.
In a game muddied with penalties and heavy errors, the continued success of the pass rush has been nothing but consistent. That is, firstly, the work of DC Jim Leonhard.
Greg Rousseau is playing at an elite level
If Greg Rousseau keeps up his pace, he will shatter the NFL's single-season sack record in 2026. At 2 sacks per game, his 34 would pass by Myles Garrett's record of 23.
Now if we put that number in a vacuum, we would understand it was one of the greatest individual seasons of all time, regardless of position. With the context that he also has eaten double teams, faced severe chips on most passing downs, handled the run game, and put pressure on QBs countless other times, we understand what we've seen so far.
'Groot', as he's lovingly nicknamed, has been a powerhouse. There is no expectation that he will get that record, nor that he keeps up his top level of performance. Still, Rousseau being capable of this level of play makes the defense a terrifying beast after all.
Josh Allen is human after all
No, it was not objectively a great day for Josh Allen. The L.A. Chargers defense did a remarkable job of getting pressure, keeping him between the tackles, and forcing him to take big swings. Truly, credit to a remarkable performance from a defense that deserved better than only 16 points from their offense, in a game where they won the turnover battle by +4.
Josh Allen did still make the big plays late to win, and he did indeed still prove to be a uniquely talented player. However, the right defense can force him to make the mistakes that could cost the Bills a game. In a rare day, Josh Allen's below-average was still enough.
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