(My Sportsbook) - The San Diego Chargers have had a difficult time winning close games this season, but maybe an extra week of rest will help remedy the problem.

The Chargers' four losses this season have come by a combined 12 points, but Marty Schottenheimer's club entered the bye week with two straight wins.

The latest victory came in New York against the Jets. San Diego did hold on at the end in that one, beating the Jets, 31-26.

The Bills, meanwhile, will still be in search of their first road victory of the season. Mike Mularkey's team is 0-4 away from Buffalo this season.

Last week, Buffalo picked up a 14-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

SERIES HISTORY

San Diego has a 18-9-2 lead in its all-time regular season series with Buffalo, but was a 20-13 road loser when the teams last met, during the 2002 season. The Chargers' most recent win over the Bills came in 2001 at home, and San Diego has won the last three games between the clubs at Qualcomm Stadium. Buffalo last won in San Diego in 1981.

In addition to the regular season series, the teams have met three times in the postseason. Buffalo defeated San Diego for the 1964 and 1965 AFC Championships, and the Chargers were 20-14 winners over the Bills in a 1980 AFC Divisional Playoff.

Schottenheimer is 7-5 in his career against Buffalo. That record includes a win over the Bills in his first game as a head coach, with the Browns in 1984, and losses for his Chiefs in the 1991 and 1993 AFC Playoffs. Mularkey will be meeting both Schottenheimer and the Chargers for the first time as a head coach.

BILLS OFFENSE VS. CHARGERS DEFENSE

The Bills didn't put up big offensive numbers in their win over Kansas City and that was evident in the passing game. Kelly Holcomb started at quarterback, but left after suffering a concussion in the second quarter of Sunday's game. Holcomb (815 yards, 6 TD, 3 INT), who ended 4-for-6 for 25 yards, is listed as questionable for Sunday. If Holcomb can't go this week, J.P. Losman will get the call. Losman (570 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT) filled in for Holcomb against the Chiefs and completed 9-of-16 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Lee Evans (21 receptions, 300 yards, 3 TD) caught three passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns. Buffalo is 29th in the league this year with just 132.1 passing yards per game.

The Chargers surrendered just 269 yards of total offense to the Jets two weeks ago and did an especially good job against the pass. Vinny Testaverde started for New York and passed for just 98 yards before leaving the game with an Achilles injury early in the third quarter. Brooks Bollinger did a much better job under center, throwing for 106 yards and two touchdown passes in a relief role. San Diego does a great job at getting pressure on the quarterback from the linebacker position and that was true against the Jets. Rookie linebacker Shawne Merriman (25 tackles, 5 sacks) seems to be getting better with every game and posted nine tackles and sack. Merriman is questionable this week with a wrist injury. Another linebacker Shaun Phillips (13 tackles, 4 sacks) added a pair of sacks for San Diego. Cornerback Quentin Jammer (39 tackles) led the secondary with stops. The Chargers are 30th in the NFL in passing defense, surrendering 248.6 yards per game.

Buffalo's strategy on offense this year has been to run the ball, but that didn't work against the Chiefs. The Bills are ranked 13th in the NFL with 120 rushing yards per game despite gaining just 61 yards last week. Willis McGahee (856 yards, 4 TD) gained 66 yards on 20 carries. It marked the third-lowest rushing output of the season for McGahee, who is second in the AFC in rushing yards this year.

San Diego has been the best in the NFL at stopping the run this season. Its defense has yielded just 79.6 rushing yards per game. The Jets gained 87 yards on the ground against the Chargers with Curtis Martin leading the way with 72 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Merriman and Phillips were very active, as was fellow linebacker Stephen Cooper (20 tackles), who posted eight tackles. Mammoth defensive tackle Jamal Williams (24 tackles) stuffed things in the middle with five stops.

CHARGERS OFFENSE VS. BILLS DEFENSE

Everyone knows that the Chargers offense revolves around running back LaDainian Tomlinson and it still next to impossible to stop him. The Jets found that out two weeks ago when Tomlinson breached the end zone four times, including three times on the ground. Tomlinson (835 yards, 13 TD), who is third in the AFC in rushing yards, ran for 107 yards on 25 carries. Michael Turner (137 yards) also carried the ball four times for 18 yards. San Diego is 10th in the NFL with a 125.1 rushing yards every game.

Buffalo's defense has struggled tremendously against the run this season and it was no different Sunday against the KC. Chiefs running back Larry Johnson rushed for 132 of his team's 150 rushing yards, but Kansas City failed to reach the end zone. Defensive tackle Justin Bannan (15 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks) started in place of the injured Sam Adams and posted five tackles. Adams is questionable this week with a knee injury. Defensive end Aaron Schobel (37 tackles, 7 sacks) notched six stops in the victory. Middle linebacker London Fletcher (75 tackles, 2 sacks) had an amazing day, making a team-high 20 tackles. This season, the Bills are 31st in the NFL with 150.7 rushing yards surrendered per game.

Drew Brees loves using his tight end in the passing offense and it's easy to see why. Antonio Gates is turning has become the league's premiere tight end and hauled in eight passes for 132 yards against the Jets. Gates (51 receptions, 707 yards, 6 TD) has combined for 18 receptions and 277 yards in his last two games alone. Brees (2,099 yards, 14 TD, 8 INT) completed 20-of-27 passes for 270 yards with one TD and one interception. Tomlinson (28 receptions, 264 yards, 2 TD) had three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. LT leads the AFC with 15 total touchdowns this season. The Chargers possess the 11th ranked passing offense in the league, averaging 225.4 yards per game.

The Bills used a ferocious pass rush to make things difficult for Trent Green and Kansas City's passing attack. Buffalo, which is eighth in the NFL with 25 sacks this year, dropped Green to the turf six times and posted three interceptions. Schobel led the way with two sacks and Fletcher added two. Linebacker Angelo Crowell (56 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) had a sack and an interception to go along with his 16 tackles. Cornerback Terrence McGee (53 tackles, 3 INT) also made his presence known with seven stops and a pick. Buffalo has the second-best passing defense in the NFL this season, surrendering just 157.9 yards per game.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Chargers have one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the NFL and the extra week of rest should have them firing on all cylinders. The only thing up in the air is whether it will be Gates or Tomlinson that does the most damage. Sure, Buffalo did a nice job of containing a good KC offense last week, but that was at home. The Bills simply haven't executed as the visiting team this year and are losing by an average of 13.5 points in four games (0-4) on the road this year. Expect another double-digit loss this week.

My Sportsbook Predicted Outcome: Chargers 35, Bills 21