Orchard Park, NY – Leodis McKelvin returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown, Rian Lindell kicked four field goals and the Buffalo Bills posted a 19-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins in a battle between AFC East rivals at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Ryan Fitzpatrick had 168 passing yards and C.J. Spiller totaled 91 yards on 22 carries for the Bills (4-6), who snapped a three-game losing streak and notched their first win against a division opponent in four tries this season.
Miami rookie Ryan Tannehill threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Davone Bess, but was picked off twice in the game's final two minutes, sealing the Dolphins' (4-6) third straight loss.
Bess was initially ruled out of bounds after making a 2-yard catch on third down with 8:42 remaining. However, the call was reversed via replay, giving Miami life.
The Dolphins defense then forced a punt, but Shawn Powell pinned the visitors inside their own one. On the first play following the 2-minute warning, Jairus Byrd made a diving interception at his own 35-yard line.
Miami used all three of its timeouts and got the ball back after forcing a three-and-out. Tannehill hit Bess on a crossing pattern on first down and another completion to Rishard Matthews moved the ball across midfield.
But the Dolphins' momentum was thwarted when Brian Hartline was flagged for offensive pass interference. On the next play, Bryan Scott picked off a pass intended for Bess.
"It was not a good offensive performance. We had nothing going on," said Miami coach Joe Philbin.
After the Dolphins went three-and-out on the game's opening possession, McKelvin went untouched down the left sideline as he returned the subsequent punt for a touchdown.
Following another three-and-out, Miami's third possession began with Hartline losing a fumble after a 17-yard reception. The Bills capitalized by extending their lead on Lindell's 32-yard field goal.
Buffalo's inability to reach the end zone represented a first-half trend. The Bills made three additional trips into the red zone and each time they settled for three points.
"If we had gotten touchdowns, it wouldn't have been that close," said Bills coach Chan Gailey.
Following Lindell's first field goal, the Dolphins responded on the ensuing kickoff when Marcus Thigpen returned it 96 yards to trim the deficit to 10-7.
Lindell also connected from 34, 42 and 19 yards to put Buffalo up 19-7 at halftime.
Held to 50 yards in the opening half, the Dolphins finally moved into Buffalo territory with three-plus minutes remaining in the third quarter. The drive stalled at the 32-yard line and Dan Carpenter's field goal try from 50 yards hit the right upright.
Game Notes
Fitzpatrick completed 17-of-27 passes, six of which were caught by Stevie Johnson, who finished with 79 yards ...Tannehill had 141 yards while completing half of his 28 attempts ... Tannehill (179) broke David Woodley's franchise record for most completions by a rookie. He entered play needing 12 to pass the mark ... McKelvin also scored on an 88-yard punt return against Kansas City in Week 2 ... Thigpen became the first player in Dolphins history to return a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in the same season ... The Bills were without running back Fred Jackson, who sustained a concussion in Sunday's loss to New England.
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