The Buffalo Bills got off to a slow start against the Los Angeles Chargers and seemed to be heading towards the dreaded "trap game". They had just put together an incredible performance against the Dallas Cowboys the week prior while the Chargers were searching for answers after firing their head coach a little over a week ago.
In the end, the Bills found a way to secure the win and move to 9-6 on the season due in large part to these four players who stood out in Week 16.
4 Buffalo Bills who stood out in Week 16 against the Chargers
Gabe Davis
Since Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator, Gabe Davis has been basically a non-factor in the box score in three of the four games. In the first game against the Jets, he had zero targets and in the games against the Chiefs and the Cowboys he combined for only three targets and no receptions.
However, he seemingly is all or nothing as he had six receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles. This week was a similar performance as he had four receptions on six targets for 130 yards and one touchdown.
Davis would account for 55% of all the receiving yards for the Buffalo Bills and helped get the offense back on track with a 57-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. At that point in the game, the Bills were down 10-0 and needed something to turn it around.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come but if the past month or so have been any indication, Gabe Davis might return to doing the small things that help an offense but don't show up in the box score.
Ed Oliver
We might be getting to the point where Ed Oliver is in consideration for the best defensive player the Buffalo Bills have on their roster. The former first round pick has been incredible in the middle of the defense with 6.5 sacks and 12 QB hits through the first 13 games.
He continued his strong play in the game against the Chargers with four total tackles and two sacks. Ed Oliver was also a big part of the play on Poona Ford's sack as Oliver was the player who got to Easton Stick first before he stepped up in the pocket and right into Ford.
The Buffalo Bills signed Ed Oliver to a sizable contract extension before the season and one that many questioned whether it was a smart move. Prior to this season, Oliver has been fairly inconsistent but this season he has proven to be worth every penny of that extension and at this point, the contract is probably a bargain for his production.
Terrel Bernard
It was another great game for Terrel Bernard, who continues to impress in the middle of this defense in his first season as the starting middle linebacker. The second-year linebacker began the game giving fans quite the scare as he left the game with a foot injury on the Christian Benford interception that was later called back due to a penalty.
However, Bernard would return to the game and finished with seven total tackles and one sack. The sack in particular came at a key part of the game as it was on third down on the drive after James Cook's fumble midway through the fourth quarter.
The Chargers were already close to the red zone and if they had extended the drive it could have resulted in a touchdown but certainly would have allowed the Chargers to continue to take time off the clock. During training camp, there were so many questions about who would replace Tremaine Edmunds but looking back now there was no reason for concern with Terrel Bernard on the roster.
Sam Martin
It is never great for a punter to make a notable impact on the game, and more times than not when a punter is recognized it is for something bad. However, Sam Martin had probably one of his best games with the Buffalo Bills and made a big impact on the field position battle.
In this game against the Chargers, Martin would have four punts with an average of 52.3 yards per punt. He also had three of those punts downed inside the 20 yard line with one going out of bounds at the four yard line.
The one punt that wasn't downed inside the 20 was also an incredible kick as the Buffalo Bills were backed up against their own goal line. It was a pretty disastrous sequence of events as the offense had back-to-back penalties on the offensive line followed by a Josh Allen sack on third down.
The punt team came out to kick from their own five before they called a timeout then would be called for a false start penalty that would back them up even further. However, Martin was unphased and would punt it 58 yards.
In these type of games, the Buffalo Bills need some big time performances from unlikely players and this week that player was Sam Martin.