Miami Takes Care of Business, Bills

With the undefeated Chicago Bears next on the schedule, Don Shula didn’t want his Miami Dolphins forgetting about the Buffalo Bills.

The Dolphins struggled for nearly three quarters but managed to put away the Bills, 23-14, Sunday.

“I did not want to come in here with the team thinking about the Bears,” Shula said. “You do that and you can easily be beaten.”

Despite dominating most of the game, the Dolphins (8-4) nonetheless found themselves tied, 14-14, in the third quarter when Buffalo’s Donald Wilson muffed a punt deep in Bills’ territory.

Although Miami, which took over when Joe Carter recovered the ball on the Buffalo 11, couldn’t score a touchdown, Fuad Reveiz kicked a 22-yard field goal to break the tie.

“Any time you turn the ball over it’s a turning point,” said Wilson, who did have a 30 m.p.h. wind with which to deal. “It just drifted and I missed it.”

Miami dominated the first half, going out to a two-touchdown lead before the Bills (2-10) finally responded with a touchdown late in the second quarter.

On the first Dolphin possession, quarterback Dan Marino completed his first five passes, including a seven-yard scoring pass to rookie Ron Davenport.

The Dolphins scored again in the second quarter when Marino lofted a 15-yard touchdown pass to reserve tight end Dan Johnson.

The Bills scored just before halftime on Bruce Mathison’s 11-yard pass to Andre Reed and came back to tie it in the third quarter after stopping a Miami drive on fourth-and-one at the Bills’ 26.

Mathison tied the score on a 60-yard pass play to Jerry Butler, who battled Don McNeal for the ball on the Miami 10 and then slipped into the end zone.

That play, the longest completion of the season for Buffalo, was Butler’s first touchdown of the year.

After Reveiz’ field goal made it 17-14, the Bills tried to tie it on their next possession, but Scott Norwood’s 47-yard field goal attempt into a stiff wind was short.

Miami sealed the victory by marching 81 yards in the fourth quarter. Tony Nathan carried the ball five times for 38 yards during the nine-play drive that ended when he bulled over from the four.

Reveiz missed the extra point after Nathan’s score.

Marino, who had two passes intercepted, completed 22 of 31 passes for 233 yards. Mark Clayton caught five passes for 60 yards and Mark Duper caught four for 57 yards.

Mathison, making only his third start this season, completed 15 of 28 passes for 196 yards, including three to Butler for 87 yards.

The Dolphins are now tied for second in the AFC East with the New England Patriots, one game behind the New York Jets, who beat the Patriots, 16-13, in overtime Sunday. After their game against the Bears in Miami next Monday, the Dolphins play at Green Bay, then at home against New England and finish with Buffalo again, this time at Miami.