ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Now that’s more like it.

The Los Angeles Chargers expected to have one of the better pass rushes in the NFL at the start of the season.

However, with the absence of talented edge-rusher Joey Bosa due to a bruised left foot, the Chargers managed just one sack against the Kansas City Chiefs in the team’s season-opening loss at the StubHub Center.

Things were different Sunday, as the Chargers totaled five sacks, putting consistent pressure on Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback Josh Allen in Los Angeles' 31-20 victory.

As expected, Pro Bowler Melvin Ingram led the way, with 1.5 sacks and three quarterbacks hits.

“I feel like we got good pressure, but we can always have more,” Ingram said. “We have to get back in the lab and keep practicing. We still have to try and get to the quarterback. If every passing play isn’t a sack, we can always get more.”

Derwin James joined Ingram in the sack party, as defensive coordinator Gus Bradley unleashed the rookie safety out of Florida State.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, James played 43 snaps at free safety in the season opener against the Chiefs. However, against the Bills, James played more at the line of scrimmage, consistently making plays in the backfield as a blitzer

James filled up the stat sheet. He led the Chargers in tackles with eight. James also added his second sack of the season, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit and a pass breakup.

James wasn’t the only rookie to make an impact, as second-round selection Uchenna Nwosu recorded his first career sack on the opening drive, and fourth-round linebacker Kyzir White corralled his first interception as a pro.

“We practiced it all week,” James said about the Chargers moving him around defensively. “I was everywhere. I played a couple reps at free [safety]. I played a couple reps at strong [safety], I played a couple reps at linebacker. I was just everywhere.”

Bosa has been out since the first week of August, so the Chargers have had to learn how to generate pressure without the Ohio State product. While they struggled to do that against the Chiefs, the Bolts seemed to have a more creative strategy to get to Allen, who made his first career start Sunday.

“He’s definitely a beast,” said safety Adrian Phillips, when asked how much L.A.’s defense missed Bosa. “That’s my guy right there, but when he’s gone, other guys have to step up.

“So when Chris Landrum and Isaac [Rochell] get in there -- and we’ve still got Melvin [Ingram] in there, you can’t forget about that -- we just went into a mindset that we’re an attacking defense. And that’s what we’re going to do: attack.”

Phillips and the rest of the defense will need to take a similar approach in Week 3, when they face the crosstown rival Los Angeles Rams in the Coliseum for the first time in the regular season.

As they accomplished against the Bills, the Chargers will have to do a good job creating pressure against second-year quarterback Jared Goff.

“Last week [vs. Kansas City] we didn’t start the way we wanted to,” Phillips said. “We started a whole lot faster this week, and I think that was a big difference.”