But there are signs of problems as well.

The Bills, expected to again be an elite team, are sitting at 9-6, good for the No. 6 seed in the AFC, which isn’t bad considering Allen has had problems with turnovers. Not only has he thrown 15 interceptions, tied for the most in the league, but he’s also lost three of his four fumbles.

Then there’s the issue of Allen’s home and road splits. He has traditionally played about as well on the road as he has at home. His career quarterback rating at home is 93.3, compared to 91.8 on the road.

But the splits are much more dramatic this year, and that could mean trouble for a team that likely won’t be able to depend on home-field advantage.

The Bills barely beat a Chargers team devastated by injuries

Los Angeles was playing without Justin Herbert and star wideout Keenan Allen

Buffalo was expected to get an easy victory this past Saturday night against a Los Angeles Chargers team that had fired coach Brandon Staley after giving up 63 points to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.

Despite playing on the road, Vegas oddsmakers still had the Bills, who were coming off a blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys, as 12-point favorites.

Facing a defensive unit that allowed Aiden O’Connell to throw four touchdown passes in the first half a week ago, Allen only completed 15 total passes against the Chargers. The two-time Pro Bowler did throw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Davis but threw an interception as well.

Running the football ball has been a key to Allen’s dominance over the years. Throughout his career, the quarterback has averaged 38.0 rushing yards per game but had just 15 on Saturday night. On a positive note, the quarterback did score two touchdowns on one- and two-yard runs.

To defeat a team that had just recently made a coaching change and was without its starting quarterback, as Justin Herbert is out for the remainder of the year, the Bills needed a field goal from Tyler Bass with 28 seconds left in the game to take a 24-22 win.

This is not an ideal outcome for a team expected to earn a blowout victory.

Josh Allen has been so much better at home than on the road this season

Both Allen and the Bills have been far better in Buffalo than they are away from home

Allen is a quarterback who is built for any kind of weather. He has one of the best arms in NFL history and is able to cut through any conditions. And the fact that he can be such a devastating rusher also plays into his ability to win big games in Buffalo.

As mentioned, Allen has played so much better at home than on the road this season. In the friendly confines of Highmark Stadium, he’s completed 69.8% of his 245 passes, resulting in 18 touchdowns against only six interceptions. His passer rating at home has also been elite at 108.4.

The road has been a different story, as Allen has only thrown nine touchdowns in seven games. His completion percentage is also dramatically different, as he completes only 63.5% of his passes away from home. Two of his three lost fumbles have also come away from Orchard Park. His passer rating is also much worse on the road, coming in at only 80.2.

Most important is the split in the win and loss record for a team that was only expected to lose a handful of games this year. At home, Allen and the Bills have won six of eight games. But on the road, the Bills are under .500 with a record of 3-4.

Home-field advantage is big for the Bills

The team has likely missed out on making Buffalo a nightmare for opponents in the postseason

There are few (if any) tougher places to play than Buffalo come playoff time. It is usually freezing cold in Highmark Stadium come January, and the winds are typically swirling. And when quarterbacks don’t have dynamic throwing arms, those winds can cause incompletions and interceptions.

Many visiting teams might opt to run the ball instead of throwing it in these conditions. But, of course, the Bills know that in advance and have built their defense in a way that it can stop the run when the weather gets cold.

As things stand now, however, the Bills will be on the road for their early playoff contests if they get in. And the fact that Allen is built to win in Buffalo in January becomes less meaningful.

If the playoffs were to start today, the Bills would be on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, which might not sound that bad as Buffalo already beat the defending Super Bowl champs at Arrowhead. But doing it twice is obviously a daunting task.

But even if the Bills were to win that matchup a second time, they would then likely have to square off against the top-seeded Ravens in Baltimore.

There is still a chance the Bills could win the AFC East and get at least one playoff game at home. But with the Miami Dolphins defeating the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, they’ll now need the ‘Fins to lose to the Ravens in Week 17. Buffalo would then need to beat the New England Patriots in Week 17 and then beat Miami in Week 18, all of which is possible.