Chargers stave off Bills late in win
It wasn’t the perfect ending.
Coach Mike McCoy made that clear.
The only Chargers score the final 22 minutes was a safety. The offense, whose two three-and-outs the first 11 quarters this season were fewest in the NFL, had five straight to end the game. It was the franchise’s first five-punt fourth quarter since at least 1991.
Not perfect. No one said it had to be.
The Chargers were all over the Bills early on Sunday, holding on 22-10 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. San Diego gladly trades style points for its first road win, first conference win and first true win streak of the year, improving to 2-1 for a shared spot atop the AFC West.
“A win is a win,” quarterback Philip Rivers said.
Earning one here is no easy feat.
There were more than a few references in the winner’s locker room of what happened two weeks earlier in Glendale, Ariz., not closing out a game before a sellout crowd in a hostile environment.
McCoy acknowledged the offense could’ve done more Sunday to help the cause, his tone estranged from the winning result.
San Diego’s offense has been held scoreless three of 12 quarters this season. Two have been the fourth quarter on the road. It produced 20 first downs the first five drives and none the final five.
“We just have to find a way to get a first down,” McCoy said. “I mean, we move the ball the whole game, and all of a sudden, we stop moving the football. So we have to do a better job. We have to look at (ourselves) in the mirror, figure out a way to get it done and not put ourselves, or the defense, or our football team in that situation again.
“We should just close it out when we have the opportunity, and don’t let them get the ball back ever.”
So it wasn’t perfect.
It was enough.
The Chargers defense contained the Bills, who managed 19 yards and negative two points in their first four series of the fourth quarter, spanning 15 plays.
On Monday, the team will review the game film and all its imperfections. On Sunday, that was less important.
This Chargers group was resilient. It came off a triple-digit heat stroke of genius against Seattle to one week later travel cross-country and add to its own momentum. There were injuries before the game. There were injuries during.
Still, the team still found a way to do what may be McCoy’s favorite thing in a game, scoring late in the first half and, with opening possession, beginning the second half with a touchdown drive. That score, Eddie Royal’s second touchdown catch, gave San Diego its largest lead, 20-3.
“This was a gut-check win,” General Manager Tom Telesco said. “After that brawl last week in the heat, to come here, that’s a physical team. All the guys who stepped up to play, it was awesome. The guys did a great job. It was a grind-out game.”
San Diego Chargers 22, Buffalo Bills 10
9/21/2014 at Ralph Wilson Stadium
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