INGLEWOOD - The Buffalo Bills are back in another island game Saturday night when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers at magnificent Sofi Stadium.

It was a game that originally figured to be a big-time showdown between teams vying for playoff position, but that is only true for the Bills.

At 8-6, they are fighting to stay alive in the postseason chase and they begin the night seeded ninth in the AFC standings, meaning they still have two places to catapult in order to get into the top seven.

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For the Chargers, the season is over. They’re 5-9, losers of five of their last six games, and now playing without their star quarterback Justin Herbert, their two star receivers, Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, and their star edge rusher Joey Bosa.

The broadcast is on the Peacock streaming service with kickoff set for 8 p.m. This story will be updated throughout the day and night.

More: No Peacock? No problem. Here's where you can watch Bills vs Chargers in Rochester

Final score: Buffalo Bills 24, Los Angeles Chargers 22

The Chargers final possession began at the Bills' 30-yard line with 22 seconds left and no timeouts. Easton Stick was sacked by Ed Oliver, Easton Stick threw incomplete for Quentin Johnston and the Chargers committed an illegal forward pass on a lateral-filled final play.

Josh Allen completed 15 of 21 passes for 237 yards with a touchdown and interception and added two rushing touchdowns. Gabe Davis made four catches for 130 yards and a touchdown for the Bills. Buffalo committed three turnovers.

Easton Stick went 23 of 33 for 210 yards and Cameron Dicker made five field goals for the Chargers.

Buffalo improves to 9-6 and controls its own destiny to make the playoffs.

Bills 24, Chargers 22: Tyler Bass field goal gives Buffalo late lead

The Bills went with three straight runs to burn clock after Khalil Shakir's touchdown was overturned and ruled down by contact after a reception. Tyler Bass made a 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds left.

Khalil Shakir touchdown overturned, ruled down by contact

Buffalo opened with a 17-yard completion from Josh Allen to Dawson Knox after a fake pitch. James Cook ran for 3 yards and Allen completed to Stefon Diggs for 8 yards and a first down. On the ensuing third-and-8, Allen hit Diggs for 11 yards. The Bills faced another third down, third-and-4. Los Angeles brought pressure and lofted a pass to Khalil Shakir. Shakir cradled the ball on the ground, got back to his feet and ran along the right sideline for a 28-yard touchdown. The play was reviewed reversed. Shakir was ruled down by contact at the Chargers' 13.

Chargers 22, Bills 21: Cameron Dicker 53-yard field goal gives Los Angeles lead

The Chargers have taken the lead despite losing 3 yards on their possession. Austin Ekeler ran for 1 yard and Easton Stick completed to Gerald Everett, who dove forward for an 8-yard catch to set up third-and-1. Los Angeles was flagged for a false start on third down and Stick was sacked by Terrel Bernard for an 8-yard loss. Cameron Dicker made a 53-yard field goal.

James Cook loses fumble - 7:19 4th quarter

James Cook lost a fumble on the first play of the drive. Cook ran up the middle for 6 yards when the ball was popped free by Alohi Gilman. Nick Williams recovered the fumble at the Bills' 32.

Bills 21, Chargers 19: Cameron Dicker makes fourth field goal

Easton Stick completed a deep pass to Alex Erickson for 23 yards and cornerback Christian Benford was injured on the play. Benford got to his feet and walked off the field with athletic trainers. Then the Chargers went backward. Los Angeles was called for an illegal shift and Leonard Floyd and Ed Oliver sacked Stick for a 7-yard loss. Stick threw over the middle for Gerald Everett for 4 yards and completed to Derius Davis for 6 yards. Cameron Dicker made a 45-yard field goal.

Bills hampered by penalties, Josh Allen sacked on third down - 9:16 4th quarter

Buffalo was flagged for two straight penalties to push it back. Offensive tackle Spencer Brown was called for tripping and center Mitch Morse committed a holding penalty. On third-and-23, Josh Allen was sacked by Eric Kendricks and Tuli Tuipulotu. Sam Martin punted 58 yards and Derius Davis returned it 13 yards to the Bills' 48.

Bills 21, Chargers 16: Cameron Dicker makes 47-yard field goal

Los Angeles strung together an 11-play drive that ended with Cameron Dicker's 47-yard field goal. Easton Stick completed to Jalen Guyton for 12 yards to midfield and Stick hit Joshua Palmer for 17 yards to the Bills' 32. Stick scrambled for 2 yards, Austin Ekeler ran for 1 yard and Stick's third-down pass for Palmer was incomplete to set up the field goal.

Bills 21, Chargers 13: Josh Allen scores second rushing touchdown of game

Buffalo converted two straight third downs to start the possession and Gabe Daivs continued his big game. On third-and-3, Josh Allen fired a short completion to Stefon Diggs for 4 yards, and on third-and-4, Allen went to Khalil Shakir for 16 yards. Allen followed it with a deep pass to Davis along the left sideline for 36 yards to the Chargers' 6. On first-and-goal, James Cook ran for 5 yards to the 1-yard line. Leonard Fournette was stopped for no gain on second down. Josh Allen took a quarterback sneak to punch in the touchdown.

Bills 14, Chargers 13: Los Angeles gets field goal after interception

Los Angeles couldn't punch it in after reaching the red zone and settled for a field goal. Austin Ekeler had runs of 9 and 3 yards, Derius Davis took a carry 8 yards and Easton Stick kept a read option for a 21-yard gain to the Bills' 17. Quentin Johnston took a carry 13 yards to the Bills' 4 but he was lined up off the ball and the Chargers were flagged for illegal formation. On third-and-9, Stick was sacked by Poona Ford for a 6-yard loss. Cameron Dicker made a 40-yard field goal.

Josh Allen intercepted by Alohi Gilman - 12:08 3rd quarter

Josh Allen was picked off. Allen avoided pressure and threw across his body deep for Stefon Diggs but it was picked off by safety Alohi Gilman at the Chargers' 42-yard line.

Easton Stick sacked on third down, Chargers punt - 12:46 3rd quarter

Easton Stick opened the second half with a short completion to Gerald Everett and cornerback Taron Johnson was called for unnecessary roughness. Austin Ekeler took a catch-and-run 12 yards into Bills territory. Ekeler was stopped for a 2-yard gain, Stick threw incomplete for Ekeler and Stick was sacked for a 10-yard loss by cornerback Rasul Douglas to force a punt. JK Scott punted 40 yards to the Bills' 10.

Halftime: Buffalo Bills 14, Los Angeles Chargers 10

Los Angeles scored the first 10 points. Then Buffalo scored the next 14 points. Josh Allen has completed 7 of 11 passes for 124 yards with a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown, and Gabe Davis has three catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. Easton Stick went 10 of 14 for 101 yards with a rushing touchdown and Austin Ekeler has 47 yards on nine carries for the Chargers.

Bills 14, Chargers 10: Josh Allen rushing touchdown gives Buffalo lead

After all that, the Bills have the lead.

The game could not have started any worse for the Bills, but in the blink of an eye things have changed and now Buffalo has a 14-10 lead, this time courtesy of its first sustained drive of the game.

After the defense came up with another stop to force a punt, the Bill started at their own 37 and needed only eight plays to cover the distance with Josh Allen keeping on a two-yard run off right tackle.

Gabe Davis came up with his third big play of the night as he caught a 20-yard pass to get the drive moving.

Derius Davis muffs kickoff, Chargers punt - 4:29 2nd quarter

Los Angeles started at its 8-yard line after Derius Davis muffed the kickoff. Austin Ekeler took a direct snap out of the wildcat for 7 yards and a first down and followed it with a 10-yard carry for another new set of downs. Easton Stick threw incomplete deep for Quentin Johnston, Joshua Kelley lost 2 yards on a catch and Rashawn Slater was called for offensive holding. JK Scott punted 54 yards and Deonte Harty reutrned it 11 yards to the Bills' 37.

Chargers 10, Bills 7: Josh Allen unloads touchdown to Gabe Davis on first play of drive

It took the Bills exactly one play to get back into the game, and what a play it was.

After the defense came up with a three-and-out stop that forced a Chargers punt deep in their territory, the Bills began their fourth possession at their own 43.

Josh Allen was pressured and flushed out of the pocket, Gabe Davis saw it and he took off deep down the right side with linebacker Kenneth Murray futilely trying to keep pace. Allen let fly and Davis made a stretching catch and his momentum was enough to carry Murray to the end zone to complete the 57-yard play.

Chargers go three-and-out - 9:02 2nd quarter

Los Angeles went three-and-out after Sam Martin's fantastic pun pinned the Chargers deep. Austin Ekeler rushed for 4 yards, Easton Stick's pass went off the hands of Gerald Everett and a screen pass to Joshua Palmer only gained 3 yards. JK Scott punted 49 yards and Deonte Harty returned it 3 yards to the Bills' 43.

Bills punt again - 10:43 2nd quarter

James Cook looked good to start the possession but then the Bills' drive stalled. Cook took three straight carries for 5, 10 and 3 yards. On second-and-7, Josh Allen scrambled for 5 yards and center Mitch Morse was called for offensive holding. Allen completed to Dalton Kincaid for 7 yards but on third-and-1, Allen's pass for Kincaid was incomplete. Sam Martin punted 56 yards to the Chargers' 4.

Chargers 10, Bills 0: Easton Stick runs in touchdown to capitalize off turnover

Should anyone really be surprised that the Bills are now trailing the Chargers 10-0 given how this season has gone. The Bills have been maddening all year, playing down to the level of the competition and it’s happening again on a night where it simply can’t happen.

This time, special teams created the problem as Deonte Harty fumbled a punt return and Los Angeles recovered at the Buffalo 27. This after the defense has gotten off the field and would have provided the Bills a decent drive start before Harty coughed up the ball.

And then, it took the Chargers only four plays to get to the end zone as Easton Stick ran in from the 1-yard-line to make it 10-0.

The Bills are in trouble. There’s really no other way to put it. They are sleep-walking, and if they don’t wake up, their season is going to blow up.

Bills interception nullified, Deonte Harty loses fumble on punt return

Buffalo's defense had a forced turnover wiped out by a penalty. Easton Stick forced a deep pass over the middle and cornerback Christian Benford picked it off and returned the interception 19 yards to the Chargers' 11. Benford was flagged for defensive holding on the play to give Los Angeles a first down, and linebacker Terrel Bernard stayed down with an injury. Bernard spun around and grabbed his right foot after the play. He did not go into the blue medical tent and ran on the sideline to test the injury. Isaiah Spiller didn't do anything with two carries and Stick lost 4 yards on a designed run on third-and-run. JK Scott punted 6 yards and Deonte Harty lost a fumble on the punt return. The ball was poked out by AJ Finley and it was recovered by Amen Ogbongbemiga at the Bills' 27.

Buffalo punts again - 3:30 1st quarter

The Bills had their second straight drive with a first down and then a punt. Josh Allen completed to Gabe Davis, who made his first catch since Nov. 26 against the Philadelphia Eagles, for 17 yards. Allen took a designed run 6 yards, James Cook was dropped for a 1-yard loss and Allen misfired on a pass to Davis. Sam Martin punted 44 yards to the Chargers' 15.

Chargers 3, Bills 0: Los Angeles opts for field goal on fourth-and-goal

The one worry anyone should have had about this game is that the Bills would do what they have done so often this season: Play down to the level of the competition.

That’s exactly what they’ve done in the first eight-plus minutes. They took the ball on offense first, made one first down and punted, and then allowed the Chargers of Easton Stick to drive 90 yards in 14 plays to a Cameron Dicker 20-yard-field goal.

It was a terrible series for the defense as it allowed two third-and-long conversions, and Stick had receivers wide open against the Buffalo secondary. The Bills actually caught a break because rather than go for the TD on fourth down from the 2, new Chargers coach Giff Smith played it safe and kicked the field goal.

An inauspicious start for the Bills in a game they can’t afford to blow.

Bills get the ball first and punt - 13:12 1st quarter

Buffalo received the ball first but Stefon Diggs was banged up on the first play. Diggs caught a screen pass but landed awkwardly when he was tapped down by Derwin James. He walked off under his own power and returned later in the drive. Josh Allen completed to Khalil Shakir for 14 yards and a first down but James Cook rushed for 2 yards, Allen threw two incompletions and Sam Martin punted 51 yards to the Chargers' 8.

Inactives: Leonard Fournette is active for the Bills

As expected, running back Leonard Fournette will be active Saturday night for the Bills as Ty Johnson was one of the five players who will sit out.

The other inactives are safety Micah Hyde (stinger) and edge rusher A.J. Epenesa (ribs), marking the second straight game each has been unable to play. The other inactives are two players who haven’t played all season, offensive linemen Alec Anderson and Germain Ifedi.

How much Fournette will get on the field remains to be seen, but the Bills have not been shy about utilizing all three active running backs, so you can expect there will be snaps for Fournette. And if the Bills are fortunate to get a sizable lead in the second half, he may get extra time in an effort to protect James Cook from injury.

But that’s a big leap for now because first and foremost, the Bills need to take care of business and worry about resting players later.

Leonard Fournette expected to be active for the Bills

Fans have been clamoring for this to happen, and now it has as the Bills have elevated the veteran running back from the practice squad because it appears Ty Johnson will not be able to play. He suffered a shoulder injury last week against Dallas, was limited all week in practice and was officially listed as questionable for the game.

Fournette was signed as a free agent by the Bills on Halloween, but it was a move that simply gave them some depth at running back after the loss of Damien Harris.

Fournette had not been with a team since the end of the 2022 season when he completed his third year with the Buccaneers. No team signed him as a free agent until the Bills came calling, and fans thought he would be able to jump right in and help an offense that, at that time, was struggling.

But Fournette needed several weeks to get back into game shape plus learn the Buffalo playbook, though when that came together, they had already turned to Johnson as the third active back on game days along with James Cook and Latavius Murray.

And Johnson remained in that role because he has been a useful player, particularly last week when he rushed for 54 yards.

How much the Bills use Fournette is unknown, but he has been a solid player since entering the league as a first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2017. In addition to a career 4.0-yard average per carry, he has caught 312 passes, has 6,697 yards from scrimmage and 41 touchdowns.

Bills vs Chargers Prediction

Sal Maiorana: Bills 26, Chargers 10

There are some uncertainties about this game with a new Los Angeles coach and a quarterback no one knows much of anything about. And there is no doubt that the Chargers have some talented players, but there’s no way that I see them getting off the deck and beating a Buffalo team that knows it has to win out to secure a playoff berth.

There won’t be much of a homefield advantage for the Chargers because there never is at SoFi Stadium. Visiting team fan bases routinely flock to Los Angeles and at best, it’s a neutral field, and I would imagine there will be a huge Bills Mafia presence.

This is a game that might be close for a little while if the Chargers are inspired playing for Smith, plus eager to wash away the embarrassment of their last game, but I think the Bills will methodically pull away for their third straight victory and keep the playoff push moving.

What time is the Bills vs Chargers game?

∎ Date: Saturday, Dec. 23

∎ Time: 8 p.m.

∎ Place: Sofi Stadium

Who is favored to win Bills vs. Chargers game

∎ Tipico betting line (as of Saturday): Bills -12

∎ Over-under: 44

∎ Money line: Bills minus-750 (bet $750 to win $100) and Chargers plus-525 (bet $100 to win $525).

Who is announcing the Bills vs. Chargers game

∎ Play-by-play: Mike Tirico

∎ Analyst: Cris Collinsworth

∎ Sideline reporter: Melissa Stark

How to watch Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Chargers game on TV, streaming

∎ Cable/Network TV: NBC. The game will be available locally only in Buffalo on WGRZ. No secondary markets like Rochester have access to the game on regular cable TV.

∎ TV streaming: Peacock is the only streaming service where the game is available.

∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.

On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Chargers game

You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on Sirius channel 82 and XM channel 226 (Bills feed) and Sirius channel 85 and XM channel 225 (Chargers feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:

• Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)

• Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)

• Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)

• Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)

• Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)

• Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)

• Newark (WACK 1420 AM)

• Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)

• Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)

• Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)

• Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

Buffalo Bills 2023 schedule

• Mon. Sept . 11, Jets 22, Bills 16 (OT)

• Sun., Sept. 17, Bills 38, Raiders 10

• Sun. Sept. 24, Bills 37, Commanders 3

• Sun. Oct. 1, Bills 48, Dolphins 20

• Sun. Oct. 8, Jaguars 25, Bills 20

• Sun. Oct. 15, Bills 14, Giants 9

• Sun. Oct. 22, Patriots 29, Bills 25

• Thur. Oct. 26, Bills 24, Buccaneers 18

• Sun. Nov. 5, Bengals 24, Bills 18

• Mon. Nov. 13, Broncos 24, Bills 22

• Sun. Nov. 19, Bills 32, Jets 6

• Sun. Nov. 26, Eagles 37, Bills 34 (OT)

• Sun. Dec. 3, Bye week

• Sun. Dec. 10, Bills 20, Chiefs 17

• Sun. Dec. 17, Bills 31, Cowboys 10

• Sat. Dec. 23, at Chargers, 8 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 31, vs. Patriots, 1 p.m.

• Sun. Jan. 7, at Dolphins, TBD

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 24, Los Angeles Chargers 22: Final score, recap, highlights