COMPLETE STATS (pdf)
Final Score: Buffalo 19 – Miami 0
Location: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
Records: Buffalo (6-9), Miami (8-7)
Bills vs. Dolphins: HIGHLIGHTS | GAME PHOTOS
In a Nutshell:
--It was a dominant defensive effort by the Bills, who did not give up a third down conversion until the latter stages of the first half. Miami's offense had just one of their 12 possessions last more than five plays as the Dolphins went 2-for-14 on third downs.
--The Bills logged a season-high seven sacks in the game and temporarily knocked Miami QB Ryan Tannehill out of the game with a knee injury.
--Buffalo's run game was productive. Led by Fred Jackson, who had 111 yards and a touchdown. He and C.J. Spiller combined for 188 yards rushing.
--Buffalo built on their 10-point halftime lead with three second-half field goal drives. Dan Carpenter hit field goals from 21, 22 and 26 yards after his 45-yarder in the first half.
-- Their shutout of the Dolphins marked the first Bills whitewash since the 2011 season when they shut out Washington 23-0 on Oct. 30th.
--The Bills completed the season sweep of the Dolphins for the first time since 2007.
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How it went down:
**--Buffalo got on the board first thanks to a 68-yard scoring drive, with Robert Woods providing 57 of those yards on a long reception and run down the left sideline. Dan Carpenter put a 45-yard field goal through for a 3-0 lead.
--The Bills made it an early 10-point lead when Fred Jackson plunged in for a nine-yard touchdown on a first-and-goal play.
--Buffalo's pass rush was fierce throughout the game. After logging four first-half sacks the Bills defense registered three more to total seven against Miami.
--Fred Jackson averaged better almost six yards a carry and went over 100 rushing yards on the day. He also ran in his eighth touchdown of the season.
--Dan Carpenter contributed 13 points in the victory.
--Leodis McKelvin salted the game away with his first interception of the season with 1:45 left.
#Bills DB Leodis McKelvin celebrates the win. #purejoy pic.twitter.com/BFOAE3qt0o — Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) December 22, 2013
--Buffalo is now 3-4 at home this season.
The half of it
--The Bills defense dominated the first half, holding the Dolphins to 56 total yards on 30 plays, including nine rushing yards on nine carries.
--Ryan Tannehill was sacked four times all on third downs, which helped explain why Miami converted just one of their eight third down opportunities.
--Fred Jackson went over 5,000 rushing yards in a Bills uniform becoming just the third player in team history to accumulate 5,000 or more rushing yards. Hall of Famers O.J. Simpson and Thurman Thomas are the others. --With his first reception for 15 yards, Scott Chandler tied a team record with 31 consecutive games with a reception by a Bills tight end (Reuben Gant). He also set a career-high for receiving yards in a season with 584 (571 in 2012).
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Subplots:**
--Marquise Goodwin suffered a left knee injury and was out for the game before the first half was over.
--The Bills broke the single-season sack record in the first half. The 1964 AFL title team had 50. The 2013 Bills now have 56.
There it is, a #Bills franchise record! pic.twitter.com/tSycP0spnr — Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) December 22, 2013
--With his 10th sack of the season Jerry Hughes made he, Kyle Williams and Mario Williams the first trio for the Bills with 10 or more sacks each in a season since 1995 when Bruce Smith, Bryce Paup and Phil Hansen did it.
--Jim Leonhard posted his fourth interception of the season in the second half. It gave the Bills four defensive players with at least four interceptions on the year. The last time that happened in Bills history was 1965 (1965 (5) – Hagood Clarke-7, Butch Byrd-5, Charley Warner-5, Booker Edgerson-5, George Saimes-4)
--Robert Woods was thrown out of the game for throwing a punch at Miami CB Brent Grimes after the two tumbled into the pile at the tail end of a 2nd-and-10 play in the third quarter.
--Scott Chandler became the second Bills tight end to reach 50 receptions in a season joining Jay Riemersma (53 in 2001).
Doug Marrone comments:
-- "Defensively, I think they were outstanding. Two of 14 on third downs, held them to a total of 103 yards. Those guys really came and they really played. It was an honor to be on that sideline and watch those guys perform."
--"It's that same story, I said it before to the team, we protect the quarterback well at home, we run the ball, we've done some better things at home than we have on the road. I thought the offense went out and did that. They did exactly what they needed to do."
--"I'm very proud of this team. They've worked hard all week again. We talked to them about winning two wins in a row, which we haven't done, I'm excited about that. We have to finish strong. It's important for us that we make sure that we wanted a winning record within our division. Those are the things that we talked about during the week."
Inactives:
QB EJ Manuel, WR Stevie Johnson, S Aaron Williams, RB Ronnie Wingo, CB Brandon Smith, OL Mark Asper, OL Antoine McClain.
Up Next:
The Bills travel to New England next Sunday to face the Patriots in the season finale for a 1 pm kickoff.
