Grading Every Chargers Position Group After Week 3 Collapse vs. Bills

The Chargers defense came to play against the Buffalo Bills, the offense not so much. See the grades for every position group from Week 3.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert hurdles away from Bills safety Cole Bishop during their game Sunday, September 27, 2026 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Chargers are now 0-3 and their season, barring a miracle run of success, is essentially over and lost. The Chargers marched into Western New York with an injury report worthy to challenge the length of a drugstore receipt. Los Angeles should have won this game, the defense locked horns and threw the kitchen sink at Josh Allen and Bills offense and handed the offense five turnovers.

This game was a tale of different sides of the ball. The offense was a letdown, the defense put forth a heroic effort and gave the offense every chance to win the game. Before we dive into grades, let's identify some of the top performances.

The positives

The entire defensive line

The Chargers defensive line brought the fight the Buffalo Bills. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is arguably the best quarterback in the NFL and his ability to scramble and run is a hallmark of his MVP type performances and the Chargers pass rush harassed him all day and kept him in the pocket and prevented his escape.

Each edge rusher notched a sack on Allen in addition to linebacker Daiyan Henley getting in on the action as well on a blitz.

Akheem Mesidor (90) beating the hands and beating the man for the sack off the left edge pic.twitter.com/2NDGDIF5ts

— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) September 28, 2026

The safeties

The Chargers safety room has taken a few weeks to get on the same page but the combination of Derwin James, Tony Jefferson, RJ Mickens and rookie Genesis Smith had an elite performance against a very powerful pass attack. Genesis Smith dropped the surprise of the week with two interceptions and much improved communication.

Grades

Quarterback: C-

Justin Herbert still looks rattled in this offense and is mentally working through too much down to down. He still had plenty of elite plays but one glaring boneheaded mistake by throwing an ugly interception in the redzone that prevented the Chargers from retaking the lead and gave the momentum heavily to the Bills.

The Chargers pass catcher did not help much on the day. Herbert despite the interception was still battling and wide receiver Quentin Johnston provided another forgettable drop in a critical moment when the Chargers were still trailing by one score. Herbert and McDaniel have to figure out how to dial in the offense.

Running Backs- B

The running backs provided a much more balanced attack with a shared workload between the entire room. The plays became somewhat predictable though with Omarion Hampton handling more of the workload between the tackles and Keaton Mitchell handling outside zone.

Wide receivers- F

Drops continue to plague the unit and the Chargers pass catchers are struggling to get open. With the offensive line not giving Herbert much time in the pocket, the receivers need to figure out how to create separation quickly.

Tight ends- C

The Chargers were in a tough spot after losing both Charlie Kolar and David Njoku in week two. Oronde Gadsden and freshly signed Hayden Rucci were thrust into main roles. Rucci had a big false start call on the goal line, however I'm not entirely sure that was his fault in full. A Bills defender jumped first but was not lined up over Rucci, Rucci, looking down the line at the ball, sees the defender jump and reacts.

Oronde Gadsden only had two targets on the day and had a finger tip drop early the game and finished with zero receptions. It was a tough draw all around, Rucci had a few good moments as a run blocker.

Offensive line- F

Right tackle Joe Alt was the lone bright spot on the day although he did get slapped with another penalty. Left tackle Rashawn Slater had an up and down performance and lost a handful of reps to edge rusher Gregory Rousseau. The interior of the line was an absolute problem in this matchup and overall they gave up 17 pressures. It is hard to fully blame Jake Slaughter, he is a rookie and is generally getting awful guard play next to him on a down-to-down basis.

The line in general is still giving up league-leading pressure on Justin Herbert, specifically up the middle. Disaster could have struck when Slaughter's clear lack of play strength was highlighted by monstrous defensive tackle Deone Walker. Walker ragdolled Slaughter into the back of Joe Alt's legs, who was lucky to escape unharmed.

Watch 66 in white pic.twitter.com/v9SihYYKSb

— YardsPerPass (@YardsPerPass) September 28, 2026

Defense- A

The entire defense gets an A for their performance against the Bills. Chris O'Leary's unit showed up ready for a knuckle-busting, back-alley brawl and kept the NFL's most dangerous offense in check while securing five turnovers. Aside from two rough plays from undrafted free agent cornerback Rodney Shelley, the defense played well enough to secure the win.

Specialists- D

We are entering uncharted territory with kicker Cameron Dicker. He missed another field goal and it unfortunately immediately gave Buffalo momentum after multiple turnovers. Punter JK Scott had his lowest net punt average of the season at just 39 yards per punt.