The Buffalo Bills got the win on Saturday night over the Los Angeles Chargers and in terms of their playoff chances, that is all that matters. However, it was much closer than it should have been as the Bills were only able to sneak by due to a Tyler Bass field goal and win 24-22.
While the Bills had some players step up in Week 16, there were a number of players who struggled to make a positive impact this week. These are five players that fall into that category.
5 Buffalo Bills who struggled in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers
Deonte Harty
Deonte Harty has not really had a role on offense this season and has primarily been limited to special teams as the team's primary punt returner. In this role, he has done pretty well with an average of 9.1 yards per punt return.
However, against the Chargers he had a costly mistake early in the game and at a point where the Buffalo Bills needed a big play. The defense had finally gotten a big stop on the second drive of the game before Harty fumbled the punt.
It set the Chargers up with a short field and they capitalized with a touchdown to take a 10 point lead. Thankfully the Bills were able to come back but against better opponents, they might not have that luxury.
James Cook
James Cook was AFC Offensive Player of the Week after he had over 200 yards from scrimmage against the Dallas Cowboys. This week, Cook should have continued that strong performance against a Chargers defense that has struggled against the run.
Unfortunately, the second-year running back struggled to hold onto the ball and had two fumbles. Thankfully, the first one was recovered by Reggie Gilliam but the second one was almost the deciding factor in the game.
It happened late in the game on a good looking five yard run but he couldn't control the ball as he was being tackled. The Chargers recovered and would end up kicking a field goal that gave them the lead.
The good news though was that Sean McDermott stuck with James Cook and he was able to be a key part of the final drive for the offense that ended on that Tyler Bass field goal. He still has confidence in the running back but Cook is going to need to focus on ball security as defenses are going to be keying in on this when playing the Bills.
Stefon Diggs
It was another lackluster week from Stefon Diggs and a streak that has gone on for about two months now. He has had nine straight weeks without breaking 100 receiving yards and now three straight weeks where he has been under 50 receiving yards.
The biggest disconnect is that Diggs is still seeing plenty of targets and has 24 over the past three weeks. However, it seems like the Bills are trying to manufacture yards for the wide receiver as three of the past five weeks the average yards before catch has been under five yards. In the first six games of the season (five of which Diggs had over 100 yards) he had only one game under five yards with three of them being over double digits.
When the Buffalo Bills needed a big play late, Josh Allen looked Stefon Diggs' way and he caught an 11 yard pass on 3rd and 8. However, the Bills need to figure out a way to get Diggs more downfield to make more of those chunk plays that he was earlier in the season.
Dalton Kincaid
When Dawson Knox went on injured reserve, the Buffalo Bills saw Dalton Kincaid step into a bigger role and play great football. He had a stretch from Week 8 through Week 14 where he had at least five receptions every game.
The Buffalo Bills appeared to find that second option for Josh Allen that they had desperately been missing. However, Dawson Knox returned two weeks ago against the Chiefs, and in the games against the Cowboys and Chargers, the rookie has been almost a non-factor.
Over the past two games, Kincaid has had only four targets but what is more concerning is that he hasn't been the reliable pass catcher he showed earlier in the season. He dropped both targets against the Cowboys and only caught one of two in the game on Saturday night.
The Buffalo Bills are going to have to figure out a way to get Kincaid more involved but only if the rookie can show he can be productive with more targets.
Von Miller
Buffalo Bills fans are waiting for that game where Von Miller looks like the Von Miller of old before his ACL injury last season. Unfortunately, that game did not happen Saturday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.
This week, Miller played the most snaps he has all season at 32 but would finish with only one total tackle, which was his first tackle since Week 10 against the Denver Broncos. However, the former All-Pro didn't really get close at all to pressuring Easton Stick and was one of the reasons Stick had the success he did.
There is no question that returning from an ACL injury takes time and even once players are able to return to the field, they still aren't completely back. However, if Miller continues to play like this the coaching staff is going to have to make the tough decision of potentially changing his role and snaps for the remainder of the season.