The Bills blanked the Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium, which puts Miami's shot at the playoffs in jeopardy. Buffalo's defense shut down the Dolphins offense and won the game with backup quarterback Thad Lewis. The Bills dominated the Dolphins on offense with 18 first downs compared to Miami's six. Buffalo rushed for 203 yards and have a total of 390 yards.
Dolphins vs. Bills 2013: Buffalo shuts Miami down at home
Our SB Nation writers are reacting to the Bills 19-0 win over the Dolphins.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
For Miami, this was a huge letdown after a three-game winning streak. The team seemed destined for a playoff spot but now seems to be in a dog fight for the last spot in the AFC. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was injured during the game and backup Matt Moore had to finish the contest with limited success. The Dolphins have to win in Week 17 to have any shot at the postseason.
Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings is excited about the defense, despite not making the playoffs this season:
The shutout is only part of the story for the Bills defensively on Sunday. Miami ran for just 14 yards on 12 carries throughout the day; Bills fans had been longing for that type of performance from the run defense all season. With no running game to worry about, the Bills teed off on Dolphins quarterbacks, registering seven sacks and two interceptions on the day, as well. All told, Miami was only able to muster 103 net yards of offense. Truly, the Bills dominated the Dolphins from start to finish defensively.
Offensively, the Bills did what they needed to do to set things up for their defense: they built an early 10-0 lead in the second quarter, then hit the ground running to take minutes off the clock in the second half. Buffalo ran for 203 yards as a team, with Fred Jackson (19 carries, 111 yards and a touchdown) and C.J. Spiller (20 carries, 77 yards) doing most of the heavy lifting. Thad Lewis made key throws when he had to and added 13 rushing yards himself, and Dan Carpenter capped off four drives with field goals to put the game further out of reach all day.
Kevin Nogle of The Phinsider hopes the Dolphins can rebound from this ugly loss:
The best part of this game was the end, when the teams walked off the field and the misery ended. Now, it’s a matter of seeing how fast the Dolphins can put the putrid performance from Sunday behind them, and if they can get back the level of play that had them in control of their own playoff destiny before yesterday.
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