Buffalo took advantage of a solid defensive performance and some great special teams to win in primetime on Thursday night, taking down the division rival Miami Dolphins 19-14 in front of a sold out crowd on the frozen turf of Ralph Wilson Stadium. They also took advantage of 3 turnovers, two by Bills safety Jairus Byrd, to draw even with the Dolphins at 4-6 on the season.
“The defense played outstanding,” head coach Chan Gailey said. “They did an unbelievable job. One score (allowed). They just did a super job.”
Neither offense scored a touchdown until the fourth quarter, but there was plenty of special teams action. The Bills took an early 7-0 lead on a 79-yard punt return by Leodis McKelvin in the first quarter. The Dolphins answered back later in the period when Marcus Thigpen took a kickoff return 96 yards for a Miami touchdown to pull with 3 at 10-7.
After that, it was kicker Rian Lindell, who added three more field goals in the first half, and a solid performance by the defense to carry the Bills to victory. The Bills went into half time with a 19-7 lead, and although Miami added a late fourth quarter touchdown to pull within 5, it wasn’t enough.
Of the three turnovers, safety Jairus Byrd was responsible for two of them. He recovered a Brian Hartline fumble in the first half and intercepted a Ryan Tannehill pass in the second half.
“It feels great,” Byrd said. “When the weather gets like this, this is when defense has to step up big. With a rookie quarterback too coming in here, a hostile environment, that’s when the defense has to carry the tune.”
And the defense did just that, carrying the bulk of the load. With running back Fred Jackson out, the Bills turned to C.J. Spiller to carry the load. Spiller came into the game with the highest rushing average in over 80 years in the NFL, and although he didn’t maintain his 7.3 yards per carry, he turned in a solid night finishing with 91 yards on 22 carries and adding another 39 yards receiving.
The passing game for the Bills didn’t turn the lights out, as Fitzpatrick was efficient and error-free, finishing 17 of 27 for 168 yards. The Bills were under 300 yards in total offense, but held Miami to just 184 yards total (60 yards rushing and 124 yards passing) in their best defensive performance of the year.
“The best it has been for four quarters all year,” Gailey said of the Bills rushing defense. “By far the best. I think we are capable of maybe not doing that, but being close to that. And if we can be close to that we’ll be in great shape.”
Miami’s offensive stars continued to struggle. Reggie Bush managed only 20 yards on 10 carries, with Daniel Thomas adding another 33 yards on 12 carries. The Dolphins averaged only 2.5 yards per rushing attempt. Tannehill continued to slip as well, as he finished 14 of 28 for 141 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs. In the last two games, he has thrown 1 TD and 5 INTs.
Pulling off a win without an offensive touchdown says a lot about the Bills. They clearly focused on protecting the ball, and maybe tried a little too hard not to lose the game, but the strategy paid off today. They are going to have to open things up more down the stretch.
“The second half I was conservative,” said Gailey of his offensive play calling. “The defense was playing good and I was conservative. I will be the first one to admit it. Maybe a little bit too much.”
“There in the second half we really put it on our defense,” Fitzpatrick added. “They were playing great. We just wanted to make sure we took care of the ball. Continue to allow our defense to go out there and shine and they did. They did a great job.”
The toughest part of Buffalo’s schedule is behind them, as they look ahead to Andrew Luck and the resurgent Colts next week, followed by Jacksonville and St. Louis. Although the odds on a playoff run are largely gone, the next three games are all winnable for the Bills (if they can put in a solid defensive performance against Luck), which could potentially pull them back above 0.500.
Things look very different for Miami. Not only have they fallen to 4-6, their next three games are against the Seahawks, with one of the biggest and toughest secondaries in the NFL, followed by the Patriots with perhaps the best offense in the league, and then the 49ers, with perhaps the best defense in the league. The Dolphins will have to play well down the stretch to avoid the basement of the AFC East.
