Fedora Forecast: Bills at Chargers

Saturday, December 23rd at 8 p.m. ET
So-Fi Stadium Los Angeles
Weather: Dome sweet dome
Latest line: Bills-12, over/under 44

All I want for Christmas is 9-6, and I don’t care if the wrapping job looks like one of my efforts. Better outcomes elsewhere than last week would be nice, but I’m pretty sure the team and the Mafia are hell bent on controlling our own destiny and winning the AFC East.

This Week’s Task:

QB:

If you want a reference point for Easton Stick, he was a 5th round pick, one year before the Bills drafted Jake Fromm in the 5th. “Stick”ing around this long is impressive for the former North Dakota State Bison. In golf they call it moving day; this is the week Josh Allen ascends to the top of the MVP leaderboard. ASTRO-nomical edge Bills.

Running game weapons:

The prestige of an Angry Runs scepter is now on James Cook’s resume. Whatever illness he’s getting over is much better off in a dome in LA than outside in the northeast. Ekeler seems to be hitting the RB wall that few escape these days. Advantage Bills.

Passing game weapons:

It’s time to start thinking about needing to get the passing game in rhythm, and restore the confidence of most/all the receiving corps. Even Kincaid had a drop last week! We know what they are capable of, Get the kinks out in the dome. Show us what Diggs is still capable of. No Keenan Allen, no Mike Williams. Advantage Bills.

Offensive Line:

It would be fun to see the Bills run blocking against a better test than Dallas. The pass blocking has been generally good as well. The Chargers have two nice pieces in Slater and Salyer, but need upgrades to keep Herbert upright and healthy. Advantage Bills

Run defense:

My hope is that the Chargers focus on James Cook after last week, which would open up opportunities in the passing game. The Chargers rank below the Bills in rushing yards allowed, and the gap is bigger on recent form. Question: Are Bernard and Dodson better against the run than Milano and Edmunds were last year? Might matter in January… Advantage Bills.

Pass defense:

Buffalove forever for Khalil Mack, who is still a pass rushing force. I remember seeing him in the fall of 2014 for UB when my son was looking at Colleges. Hard to believe that was nine years ago. Keeping it brief: Bills #8, Chargers #32 in passing yards allowed. Advantage Bills.

Special teams:

Besides getting the passing game mojo back in the dome, Tyler Bass needs some confidence building (as does Sean McDermott’s faith in said kicker). We don’t get much Chargers coverage up here, but ST is another area that their next Head Coach has to fix. Advantage Bills.

Coaching:

Easton Slick and Giff Smith? I certainly feel like I am in a Twilight Zone episode frequently, but those have to be fictional names, don’t they? I have consistently maintained that McDermott is the right coach for the Bills IF he has the right co-ordinators in place. Advantage Bills.

Intangibles:

The underdog QB and rallying around the unknown interim coach scare us emotionally but not rationally. Bills/Dolphins for the crown has to be the script.

The Forecast:

Bills 37 Chargers 7

300 yards and 4 TD passes to 4 different targets for Josh this week.

The Pregame Plan:

Food:

Don’t want to contradict the Christmas Eve food…splitting the wing order between medium and Carolina Gold.

Beer:

From San Diego (where the Chargers belong!) one of the most iconic beers in America: Stone IPA

Music:

Happy Birthday Eddie Vedder! A mix of Pearl Jam and collaborations:

1. Better Man….written when he was is high school!
2. Alive…like the Bills Super Bowl dreams.
3. Light My Fire…fronting for the Doors!
4. Man In The Moon…with REM.

Merry Christmas to all, and a Bills win tonight.

Editor’s babble: Merry Christmas! We are so grateful for Joe Reagan’s contributions to our blog. You can also find Joe on Xwitter @joer869.