Your guide to Sunday's Bills game against the Chargers

When the Bills run: Coach Sean McDermott said the team did a “deep dive” during the bye week on why the running game has been stuck in mud all season. It will be interesting, then, to see what changes. The first step could be to return Jon Feliciano to right guard, the position he played last year. The Bills have struggled running to the right side this season, averaging less than 3 yards on carries behind either right guard or right tackle. Feliciano is a rugged run blocker who could help fix that problem. The Chargers are the ideal opponent in attempting to fix the running game. Los Angeles ranks 27th in the NFL on a per-rush basis, allowing an average of 4.65 yards per carry. EDGE: Even.

When the Bills throw: The absence of John Brown will hurt the Bills. With him in the lineup, it would have been a challenge for the Chargers to figure out how to cover the trio of Brown, Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley. That becomes easier with Brown out, but in the process, rookie Gabriel Davis has a huge opportunity. Looking forward to 2021, the Bills will surely want to know if Davis is capable of taking on a much larger role in the offense. For as good as Brown has been in two years with the team, he’s 31 years old and has dealt with a variety of leg/ankle/knee/foot injuries this season. For a receiver who relies primarily on his speed, that’s problematic. If the Bills were to cut Brown after this season, the team could save $8 million against the 2021 salary cap. That’s a significant savings, so the idea can’t be outright dismissed. The Bills will have to pay extra attention to Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa, who can dominate a game. Los Angeles, though, will be without cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. and edge rusher Melvin Ingram III, two big losses. EDGE: Bills.

Jon Feliciano was about six weeks removed from left shoulder surgery when the Bills’ offensive lineman was filmed roughing up some guy he’d never met in the hallway of a private residence in downtown Buffalo.

Then he did it again.

Four matchups to watch for the Bills' game Sunday vs. the Los Angeles Chargers:

Daryl Williams vs. Joey Bosa. Bosa ranks No. 1 among full-time edge rushers in pressure percentage (10.4), according to Pro Football Focus. He has 4.5 sacks. Bosa was the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft in 2016. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler. He has 40 sacks in 51 career games. He has the elite combination of power and bend off the edge. He rushing off right tackle 75% of the time. Williams is having a stellar season. If he plays well vs. Bosa, this could add significant dollars to the free-agent windfall he’s likely to score in March.

Here are my five takes on the Buffalo Bills’ game Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Los Angeles Chargers at Bills Stadium.

1. The disappointment over the loss at Arizona cannot linger.

Micah Hyde likes to use the phrase “deepest of the deep” in describing deep-safety responsibilities.

The Buffalo Bills will need to keep that in the forefront of their minds Sunday against Los Angeles Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert.

Here are predictions for Sunday's Buffalo Bills game from members of The News' sports staff.

Vic Carucci

Inspiration struck Stefon Diggs in a rather unusual spot recently.

The Buffalo Bills’ star receiver was in the dentist’s chair getting a root canal when he learned something new.

Kudos to Los Angeles Chargers rookie Justin Herbert who became the first rookie in league history with at least two touchdown passes in seven consecutive games in last Sunday's win against the New York Jets. In that game, Keenan Allen set a Chargers single-game record with 16 catches. And for what it’s worth, ESPN Stats & Info reports that NFL rookie quarterbacks from California teams are 1-14 straight up since the merger in the Eastern time zones. Yikes. 

Before we get to another Bills Mailbag, an apology …

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked where I think Josh Allen ranks among Bills quarterbacks in franchise history. After talking it over with Mark Gaughan and Vic Carucci, both of whom have decades of experience covering the team, I felt comfortable putting Allen in the top three with Jim Kelly and Jack Kemp.

The Buffalo Bills bet big on Dion Dawkins this offseason.

Although it’s been just 10 games since the team gave him a contract extension that could be worth up to $60 million over the next four years, it’s so far looking like money well spent by General Manager Brandon Beane.

Shawne Merriman makes no attempt to hide the fact his loyalties are with the team for which he spent the first five and a half of his eight seasons as an NFL linebacker.

“My heart's always going to be with the Chargers,” he told The Buffalo News this week by phone from Los Angeles. “I'm a Charger until the day I die.”

Just when it looked as if the Buffalo Bills were about to get some continuity back on their offensive line, more disruption struck.

On Friday, while announcing that Mitch Morse would return as the starter at center for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers, coach Sean McDermott also revealed that left guard Cody Ford would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury he suffered in practice Wednesday.

The pendulum in the Buffalo Bills’ backfield has started to swing toward rookie Zack Moss.

It will be interesting to see if that trend continues this week as the Bills try to get more production from their running game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

"Autumn in New York. Why does it seem so inviting?"

That's how the lyrics go of a Vernon Duke song for a 1934 Broadway musical.