The Buffalo Bills' defense stepped up big in their win over the LA Chargers, 24-16 to improve to 3-0 on the season. The offense, however, will now have some mistakes and turnovers to clean up if they want to defeat the New England Patriots at home next Sunday afternoon.
It was an interesting game, as the Bills never led until the fourth quarter, when quarterback Josh Allen scored on a one-yard touchdown run from the goal line to put Buffalo up 17-3. Along with this scoring drive, there were 4 other key players who contributed to the team's victory.
4 players who stepped up and showed their resilience
1.) RB James Cook
After fumbling the ball on the Bills' first offensive possession of the game, James Cook bounced back and continued to cook, finishing the game with 154 yards on 24 carries, including the game-sealing touchdown to put the Bills up 24-13 late in the fourth quarter.
It was easy for head coach Joe Brady to bench him for fumbling on the first snap, but Cook kept showing why Brady can trust the superstar running back to keep being fed the ball and run with speed and power between the tackles.
2.) WR Keon Coleman
It looks like Keon Coleman is growing up right before Bills Mafia's eyes. The 6-foot-3, 213-pound wideout has been quieter this season, and that has led him to just do his job on the field and to help the team win games in any capacity he can.
After completing 6 catches for 64 yards in the home opener against the Detroit Lions, Coleman came through again by making one crucial catch for a 37-yard gain, setting up a game-tying tush push touchdown by Allen on the next play. He then recovered a failed Chargers onside kick attempt to seal the Bills' victory late in the fourth quarter.
While he may not be lighting up the stat sheet so far, he is quietly just stepping back and focusing on just playing football, as he knows the stats will come.
3.) EDGE Greg Rousseau
What a difference a new position and a new defensive scheme make for Greg Rousseau. The 6-foot-6, 266-pound power edge rusher is already feeling comfortable lining up in an outside linebacker role in a 2-point stance compared to his first five seasons in the league, when he was a defensive end in a 3-point stance.
After having seven total sacks last year, the new position has elevated his pressure on the quarterback, as Rousseau already has six sacks in three games in 2026. He is currently the NFL sack leader and is also the third player in NFL history to record three straight 2+ sack games to win in the new NFL season, since Mark Gastineau (1984) and Kevin Greene (1998).
While Rousseau is a valuable asset to the Bills' defense, it allows other teammates to make plays on the field as well. Defensive tackle Deone Walker covers the holes while allowing Rousseau to get to the outside, with 10 tackles and one sack. It's good to see the teammates work together to get the job done.
4.) S C.J. Gardner-Johnson
It's refreshing for the Bills that having a player with C.J. Gardner-Johnson's talent and character is okay, even if he can be talkative at times. Championship defenses typically have that one player on a team who may be a pest but is hard to play against when other teams are lining up against him.
For years, Sean McDermott did a great job of finding talented athletes who were quiet, but was afraid to take a chance on a player who was talkative but talented to help make the defense better.
This is where Joe Brady was willing to have Brandon Beane take that chance by acquiring Gardner-Johnson in free agency. So far, it has paid off, as he has 14 total tackles and 1 interception in just three games so far this season.
His first interception came in yesterday's game against the Chargers at the goal line, which led to the turnaround by the offense, who needed to be picked up after already turning the ball over five times in the whole game.
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