Bills at Chargers
THE STORY: One week into October, the San Diego Chargers and surprising Buffalo Bills appeared to be steaming toward playoff berths with 4-1 records. Two months later, the teams still sport identical records but now find themselves well on the outside of the playoff picture. When San Diego hosts the Bills, it will be an elimination game for a pair of teams that went winless in the month of November. The Chargers finally snapped a six-game losing streak with a 38-14 rout at Jacksonville on Monday night. Buffalo will be looking to avoid a sixth consecutive loss in a city where it hasn’t won in 30 years.
TV: CBS, 4:15 p.m. ET. LINE: Chargers -6.5, O/U 47.5
ABOUT THE BILLS (5-7): Buffalo led the league in scoring through five games, averaging a shade under 33 points per game, but that mark dipped to 13.4 points during its five-game skid. After throwing seven interceptions in a three-game stretch, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has not been picked off while throwing four TD passes in the last two. He needs 163 passing yards to match last season’s career high of 3,000. RB C.J. Spiller, subbing for the injured Fred Jackson, rushed for a career-high 83 yards in last week’s 23-17 loss to Tennessee.
ABOUT THE CHARGERS (5-7): San Diego matched its best offensive output of the season in blowing out the Jaguars. With his full complement of receivers on the field for the first time since Halloween, Philip Rivers threw for three TDs and 294 yards on 22-of-28 passing. The league leader with 17 interceptions, Rivers was not picked off for a second straight game. For his career, Rivers has posted a 21-2 record in the month of December. RB Ryan Mathews had his second straight 100-yard game and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. San Diego has an NFL-best 19-1 record over the final four weeks of a season since 2006.
2. Buffalo, which last won at San Diego in December 1981, has dropped five straight road games.
3. The Chargers will be looking to avoid their first four-game home losing streak since 2001.