Instant analysis: Chargers-Bills
Once Philip Rivers walked into Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Chargers were well on their way to victory Sunday.
The gap in aptitude between Rivers and Bills counterpart EJ Manuel was just too great for San Diego to lose, barring strange events.
It was a quarterback game, tilting toward San Diego from the moment Rivers trotted out and marched the Chargers 75 yards for a 7-0 lead.
The Chargers had the only true NFL quarterback on the field, and it really didn’t matter that former first-round draftees Ryan Mathews and Melvin Ingram were inactive or that Danny Woodhead suffered a game-ending ankle injury on San Diego’s first drive.
Final score: Chargers 22, Bills 10.
Wide open
Rivers allows the Chargers to run a fully dimensional offense, no matter who else is in the lineup. He forced the Bills to defend wide, short, medium and deep. He threw two touchdown passes with no interceptions. Hogging the ball again, the offense kept the defense fresh by running 48 of the first 73 plays. The 131.4 passer rating was Rivers’ best on the road since the 2012 finale at Oakland.
Chargers coaches did a fine job of preparing backups, a specialty under Mike McCoy. Playcaller Frank Reich showed a feel for timing the deep pass and the changeup. I loved, for example, a screen to Ladarius Green. The speedy tight end took it 14 yards on third-and-11, fueling a TD drive to open the second half.
Rivers was making his 131st consecutive start.
The Bills were far more limited on offense, in large part because Manuel is as raw as Rivers is polished. The second-year quarterback, in his 13th NFL start, was no match for John Pagano’s blitzes. Working as a spy, Chargers safety Eric Weddle read Manuel’s intentions. Corey Liuget and other rushers flustered him a few times, once for a safety.
Manuel endangered his receivers with telegraphed, errant passes. He made some plays by eluding rushers but never found rhythm. He didn’t step into his throws with consistency.
San Diego Chargers 22, Buffalo Bills 10
9/21/2014 at Ralph Wilson Stadium
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