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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- All questions regarding Lamar Smith's
health and Miami's inability to win in the cold were erased in less
than five minutes.
Smith, back after missing a game with a strained right
hamstring, was strong from the opening drive and carried the
Dolphins along with him to a 33-6 win over the Buffalo Bills on
Sunday.
|  | | Bills QB Rob Johnson, right, had a touch day, finishing 6-for-18 for 44 yards and two interceptions -- the most he has thrown in his NFL career. |
"That first drive meant a lot to us," said Smith, who ran for
100 yards on 28 carries and also caught a pass for a touchdown.
"We got together as an offensive unit and we told each other we're
going to take this ball right down the field and score, no matter
what."
Just as designed, Smith ran the ball six times for 45 yards on
that opening drive and capped it with a six-yard touchdown
reception 4:22 into the game.
"We talked about it, and we went out there and did it," Smith
said. "It's really satisfying for us."
In maintaining sole possession of the AFC East lead, the
Dolphins (10-3) need to win only one of their final three games to
clinch a playoff berth. Along with completing the season-series
sweep by winning at Buffalo for the first time since 1996, Miami
also won a rare game in cold-weather conditions.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Dolphins: Are Jay Fiedler and Lamar Smith a Super Bowl-caliber
combo?
Donahoe: The return of Fiedler and Smith proved to be a great
combination for Miami today. Rarely are the Dolphins able to go to Buffalo
in late November or December and come away with a win. But the effort was
fueled today by Fiedler's sharp, precision passing and Smith's tough,
physical runs. Each week Miami is looking more and more like a playoff team
and a potential Super Bowl contender. Coach Wannstedt has done a tremendous
job -- in back-to-back weeks the Dolphins have gone to Indianapolis and
Buffalo and won both games.
Question on the Bills: What will it take for the Bills to make the
playoffs?
Donahoe: The Bills' loss today will make it very difficult for them
to get to the playoffs. Their record now is 7-6; to have any shot they would
have to win their last three games, and 10-6 may not even be good enough.
There are some very competitive records in the AFC, and with the Ravens and
Broncos doing well, it looks like there may be only one wild-card team from
the AFC East.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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The game-time temperature was 27 degrees, with a wind chill of
16. The Dolphins are now 4-7 when the mercury dips below 29.
The game was decided by halftime as the Dolphins scored 17
points in a 5:25 span to build a 24-0 lead. Miami eventually
expanded the lead to 30-0 before Antowain Smith scored the Bills'
lone touchdown on a 1-yard plunge on the first play of the fourth
quarter.
The loss dealt the Bills playoff hopes a serious blow. No longer
able to catch the Dolphins in the division race, Buffalo (7-6) is
barely on the fringes of the wild-card race.
It didn't help that the Bills were missing four defensive
starters, including linebacker Sam Cowart, the NFL's leading
tackler.
"I can't remember anything worse being down, what, 27 or 24 at
halftime? No, I can't remember anything worse," Bills linebacker
John Holecek said. "Offensively and defensively, it was all a
miserable effort by us."
The final numbers don't lie in what became Buffalo's worst home
loss since dropping a 37-10 decision to Miami on Oct. 4, 1992.
The Bills managed just 196 total yards of offense.
Starter Rob Johnson endured the worst outing of his career (in
games he's thrown three or more passes), going 6-for-18 for 44
yards and threw two interceptions, the most he's thrown in a game.
Johnson was eventually pulled in the third quarter, a move that
drew the loudest cheer from the sold-out house, and replaced by
Doug Flutie.
"I would've liked to have stayed in with the guys," Johnson
lamented. "We were all getting our butts kicked out there. It's
not a fun situation to be out in."
Patrick Surtain, Sam Madison and Brian Walker each had an
interception for the Dolphins. Miami's defenders also limited Eric
Moulds -- the Bills' star receiver -- to two catches for 31 yards.
Meanwhile, the Jay Fiedler-led offense scored at will against a
rag-tag Bills defense.
Back after missing most of the last two games with a bruised
right shoulder, Fiedler finished 13-for-21 for 214 yards and threw
a career-high three touchdowns.
Oronde Gadsden, with a 6-yard catch, and Leslie Shepherd, left
wide-open in the end zone for a 14-yarder, also scored for the
Dolphins.
Olindo Mare kicked four field goals, the longest from 32 yards.
"Our game plan was to come out and run the ball effectively and
really test the young linebackers that were in there," Fiedler
said, adding that his shoulder felt fine. "We put ourselves in a
great position right now."
"Ten wins," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "I told the players
now the stakes rise a little bit."
Game notes
Miami endured a series of injuries to Shepherd (right
knee), defensive end Jason Taylor (right hand contusion), tackle
Todd Wade (left calf), cornerback Jerry Wilson (right ankle) and
linebacker Twan Russell (left ankle sprain). A Dolphins spokesman
said the status of each player is unknown, and that Shepherd and
Wade will have MRIs on Monday. ... When Marcellus Wiley, who
attended Columbia, sacked Fiedler (Dartmouth) in the first quarter,
it marked the first time two Ivy Leaguers were involved in a sack
since 1984 when Buffalo's Joe Dufek (Yale) was sacked by
Cincinnati's Reggie Williams (Dartmouth). ... Jason Taylor's three
sacks and Trace Armstrong's two gave them a combined 28.5, tying a
27-year-old franchise record as the team's most productive sack
tandem.
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ALSO SEE
Miami Clubhouse
Buffalo Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jay Fiedler tells ESPN's Sean Salisbury the Dolphins should not be underestimated.
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