No Such Thing as an Ugly Win, Bills Beat Winless Dolphins For Fourth Straight Victory
Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
One thing’s for sure in the National Football League. There is no such thing as an ugly win. The Buffalo Bills can attest to that after a frustrating but eventually exhilarating afternoon in South Florida today, beating the (still) winless Miami Dolphins 13-10 on kicker Rian Lindell’s late 34-yard field goal. There’s also no such thing as a sure thing. On paper, even at 4-4 the Bills looked like decided favorites over an 0-8 team. Not so fast. The Dolphins might be one of the best 0-9 teams in the history of the NFL. They also might have been a holding call and dropped pass away from winning this game. Buffalo was very fortunate to get out of Miami with a win.
For much of the game, the Bills offense was simply inept — 214 total yards, two third down conversions, some dropped passes and a turnover. It was difficult to watch. Meanwhile, the defense continued in their reliable bend-but-don’t-break fasion, giving up 124 rushing yards to RB Jesse Chatman, but making plays when they were needed and holding the Dolphins to 10 points. Quarterback J.P. Losman, who turned in a less-than-average performance (12 of 23 for 157 yards), summed it up best afterwards:
“This win tells a lot about our team. Our backs were to the wall, and we made enough plays when we had to.”
Making plays when they have to is not something the Dolphins have been able to do this season, losing five of their nine games by a mere three points. At least they have a sense of humor about it. Defensive tackle Vonnie Holiday likened their situation to a Peanuts cartoon character:
“Who’s the guy from Charlie Brown who has the gray cloud following him around? Pig Pen? We’re like Pig Pen.”
Buffalo’s win set the stage for a huge Sunday Night Football matchup with the undefeated (and rested) New England Patriots next week. The Bills are a better football team at home and with the prime-time crowd behind them, they could give the Pats some trouble. Still, they will need to play much better if they are to be the first to beat a team that has few, if any, weaknesses.
Tags: Buffalo Bills, J.P.-Losman, Miami Dolphins, Rian-Lindell, Vonnie-HolidayRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
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