Late surge helps Bills stun rival Dolphins, 31-14
ORCHARD PARK – Bills interim head coach Perry Fewell made his first two critical game-day decisions this afternoon at Ralph Wilson Stadium, and they keyed Buffalo’s 31-14 upset victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Fewell elected to let kicker Rian Lindell attempt a 56-yard field goal with 3:35 left to play and Lindell nailed it, giving the Bills a 17-14 lead.
And then after Drayton Florence picked off a Chad Henne pass that was caused by Chris Kelsay’s pressure, Fewell went for the kill and Ryan Fitzpatrick responded with a dynamic 51-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens.
Donte Whitner’s interception with 1:37 remaining led to Fred Jackson’s seven-yard, in-your-face TD run which capped the stunning 17-point scoring burst and sealed the deal. It was the Bills first victory for Fewell, who took over for Dick Jauron two weeks ago, and they improved to 4-7. The Dolphins probably saw their playoff hopes dashed as they fell to 5-6.
It looked like the Bills might be in for a long day when Miami marched right downfield on its opening possession and was in position to score before Ricky Williams threw a terrible interception in the end zone to Chris Draft out of the Wildcat formation.
Miami came right back on its second drive after Lindell had missed a 44-yard field goal as Henne threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Brian Hartline, who beat Reggie Corner – starting in place of Terrence McGee - one-on-one.
The Bills pulled even midway through the second quarter when Fitzpatrick took off on a scramble to his right and the Dolphins were caught completely out of position and the quarterback sprinted 31 yards untouched to the end zone. It was the longest scoring run by a Bills’ quarterback in team history.
The Dolphins took the second-half kickoff and ate up the first 9:07 of the third quarter, driving 83 yards in 16 plays to Williams’ one-yard TD plunge out of the Wildcat.
But back came the Bills with their own 13-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 7:04 before Fred Jackson burst off the left side for the tying touchdown.
MAIORANA@DemocratandChronicle.com
