Joe Brady Hearing 'Smoke Detectors' That Could Cost Bills Sooner Than Later

The Bills nearly lost against the Los Angeles Chargers at Highmark Stadium in Week 3 due to several boneheaded mistakes that continue to show up through three weeks for Buffalo.

Sep. 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Los Angeles Chargers' EDGE rusher Khalil Mack (52) sacks Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen (17) causing a fumble during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buffalo Bills may be 3-0 to start the season, but the blemishes—or “smoke detectors”, as the team continuously refers to them as—that keep popping up through three weeks are concerning.

The performance against the Los Angeles Chargers, despite ending in a victory, was nearly as much of an eyesore as the new “Nickel City” uniforms worn by Buffalo on Sunday.

Soon, it might be time to sound the alarm.

“100 percent,” Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen said in response to a question regarding whether the team stole a victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in Orchard Park.

Sep. 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen (17) looks toward the sideline in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“You’re not going to win very many games turning the ball over that much . . . sometimes the ball bounces the other way—that’s what happens—but, our guys fought, our defense fought, (and) gave us an opportunity to go make some plays.

“James Cook ran the heck out of the ball. D.J. (Moore) converted on some good third downs, (but) overall, again, we (won). But, there are a lot of smoke detectors going off right now. We’ve got to clean a lot of stuff up.”

Bills’ sloppy play luckily doesn’t prove costly

Sep. 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen (17) looks to throw while avoiding pressure from the defense in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In a game that was thought to be an “easy victory” for the Bills by many outside observers heading into the weekend, Buffalo barely managed to come away on the right side of the action in Western New York.

First-year head coach Joe Brady’s squad trailed for most of the afternoon against Los Angeles after the aforementioned James Cook fumbled on his very first carry of the game to give the Chargers their first possession inside Buffalo territory with just seconds taken off the clock to start the contest. 

And, although the Bills’ defenders managed to hold their own all afternoon en route to limiting the AFC West’s bottom-dwellers to just 16 points—the lowest output allowed to an opponent so far through September for defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s youthful unit—it was anything but comfortable, as Buffalo committed five turnovers in the matchup, as well as 10 penalties for a total of 88 yards.

Blunders by Buffalo becoming par for the course

Sep. 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' head coach Joe Brady speaks with the referee after a penalty during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Other than Buffalo’s win over the Detroit Lions in Week 2, nothing has been very smooth for the current leader in the AFC East heading into October.

The Bills could just as easily be 1-2 like their next opponent, the New England Patriots, as they could be undefeated. 

Whether it be the exorbitant amount of penalties committed or the excessive pile up of other near-costly mistakes, the team from Western New York hasn’t been without its faults during its current win streak to start the season.

Bills ON SI extensively covered the miscues that could’ve led to mayhem at Reliant Stadium in Week 1 against the Houston Texans, as well as all of the defensive mishaps being masked right now by the fairly productive pass rush.

It hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows.

Sep. 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen (17) is sacked by Los Angeles Chargers' linebacker Daiyan Henley (0) in the second half of a game at Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The margins in the National Football League are razor thin, and Allen and Co. are cutting it close each and every week despite putting up some historic numbers thus far.

The former 2024 NFL MVP gunslinger may lead the league in touchdowns with 11 (5 passing, 6 rushing) through three weeks, but the team as a whole has also committed 25 penalties for 219 yards, which ranks fifth-worst in the league for both yardage and total number of infractions. The Bills are also currently ranked 24th in turnover differential at -2 after their outing against Los Angeles.

The eight teams ranked behind them?

Well, those squads have a combined record of just 8-16 heading into Week 4, and the Philadelphia Eagles, who were just dismantled, 27-7, by the Chicago Bears and backup quarterback Case Keenum on Monday Night Football, are the only other team in that grouping with a winning mark to their name aside from Buffalo.

Issues must be immediately addressed before losses become the result

Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen (right) talks with Bills' coach Joe Brady (left) during drills on Day 3 of the Buffalo's training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It’s not the type of area that Buffalo wants to be living in: clearly.

So, in spite of all of the things to celebrate by the “Brady Bunch” in Buffalo right now, there’s no denying that there are several worrisome areas that need to be addressed in short order.

There’s a golden opportunity awaiting the Bills next Sunday as they can seemingly bury the Patriots in the divisional standings with a win at Highmark Stadium, which would give Buffalo a three-game lead over New England in addition to having a head-to-head tiebreaker in hand moving forward this fall.

The team can’t continue treading water and hope to remain afloat by season’s end.

Sep. 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen (17) gestures to the fans in the stands after an NFL game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Brady and Allen are going to finally achieve the goal of getting the Bills back into the Super Bowl in February, then it’s going to take a much better showing than what they’ve been able to piece together in the month of September.

Hopefully, October will bring along some more optimism in that department.