Buffalo Bills clinch 19-14 victory over AFC East Rivals Miami Dolphins in Week 11 – NFL Recap
Buffalo Bills finally got their defensive machine running as they beat their American Football Conference (AFC) East rivals Miami Dolphins by 19-14 in Week 11 game on Thursday, November 15, 2012, at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, New York.
Tides are turning for the Bills who ended their three0game losing streak and tied Dolphins for the second spot in their division with a 4-6 record.
Dolphins (4-6) were not that fortunate as they lost their third game in a row and the overall morale of the team is looking very low.
It took an extraordinary performance from the defensive side to return Bills back into playoff contention.
The high-priced defensive line showed its collective capabilities for the first time this season, thanks to a superb performance from Bills’ $100 million defensive end Mario Williams.
Williams finished the game with four tackles and a sack. He felt relieved to finally lead the defence to a great performance. Talking after the game, Williams said:
"It was definitely a must-win. With the way things turned out earlier in the season, we've got to come out and play like it's the playoffs. And we've got to make plays and we've got to finish. It got close there at the end, but I'm glad we came out with
it."
Safety Jairus Byrd also had a great game as he forced two turnovers during the game and kept Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill under guard.
Tannehill has been going through a tough rookie season. He completed 14 out of 28 passes for 141 yards and scored a touchdown. The quarterback also threw two interceptions. Talking to the reporters after the game, Tannehill said:
"It's really frustrating, especially with the success earlier in the year. Being in situations where we're going three-and-out or six-and-out, it's frustrating. We have to be able to find a rhythm and get things going early on."
Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin gave his team an early lead after returning a punt for 79 yards to reach the end zone. After that, a 32-yard field goal from kicker Rian Lindell took the lead to 10 points.
Dolphins reduced the lead to 7-10 after Marcus Thigpen got a kickoff returned for 96 yards to score a touchdown.
Lindell then took the Bills’ lead to 13-7 at the end of first quarter with a 34-yard field goal. He was active again in the second quarter as he scored two field goals to finish the first half 19-7.
It was a defensive slugfest in the third quarter as both the offences failed to influence the game due to strong opposition.
Tannehill finally got his name in the scoring sheet as he threw a two-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Davone Bess to take the score to 14-19. However, it was not enough to stop Bills from winning the game.
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