Los Angeles Chargers head coach Giff Smith nearly defeated the red-hot Buffalo Bills in Week 16. The Chargers hosted the Bills in a Saturday night matchup, falling just short with a brand new head coach and a backup quarterback. Buffalo took a 24-22 victory after a successful field goal attempt in the final minutes of the game.

“I think we went into this game thinking it was going to be a heavyweight fight, and we wanted to have a chance at the end for a knockout… “We were going to play it a little close to the vest. Get points on the board and give ourselves a chance to win, and that’s the way it went. Came up a little bit short,” said Smith, per ESPN.

With an interim head coach like Giff, there's always an intriguing story. The coach either wills his team to a triumphant end to the season or everything crumbles even more. It's not uncommon for the newly acquainted head coach to pick up a win in their first game, because opposing players and staff don't know what to expect.  The Chargers caught the Bills by surprise, but the experience from Buffalo seemed to take over the fourth quarter.

Smith did a phenomenal job in getting his players ready for a dogfight. The Chargers were dealing with injuries in all aspects but found ways to put points on the board. He'll have an opportunity to coach for the rest of the season, with this being used as a tryout for his future in Los Angeles.