PRO FOOTBALL : Kelly Leads Bills to Overtime Win : Buffalo Beats Miami for Only 8th Time in 43 Games, 34-31

The Buffalo Bills, normally Miami’s favorite patsy, rallied from a 21-point deficit to post a 34-31 overtime victory over the Dolphins Sunday.

Scott Norwood kicked a 27-yard field goal 4:12 into overtime to give Buffalo only its 8th win in 43 meetings against Miami, and its first over the Dolphins since a 1983 overtime victory in Miami.

The Bills went ahead with 4:04 left in regulation on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jim Kelly to running back Robb Riddick.

Miami tied the score, 31-31, with 1:03 left on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dan Marino to Mark Clayton.

After winning the overtime coin toss, the Bills moved 65 yards to the Miami 10-yard line before Buffalo Coach Marv Levy sent Norwood in to kick the game winner on second down.

“I prayed so much before that coin flip,” Kelly said. “I knew that if Marino got his hands on the ball it could be over.”

The Dolphins are now 0-7-1 in games when they lose the toss in overtime.

On the winning, eight-play drive in overtime, the key plays were two 18-yard gains on Kelly passes to Andre Reed and Chris Burkett.

For the game, Kelly completed 29 of 39 passes for 359 yards and 2 touchdowns. Burkett caught a career-high 9 passes for 130 yards.

Marino was 24 of 36 for 303 yards and 4 touchdowns, the 28th time in his four-plus pro seasons he has passed for at least three touchdowns. Neither quarterback had a pass intercepted.

For Kelly, a star quarterback for the University of Miami before playing in the United States Football League, the victory had special significance.

“I don’t know if this was the best game of my career, but it was very sweet,” Kelly said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.”

The Bills wouldn’t trade it, either. Buffalo (3-3) now shares first place in the AFC East with New England, Indianapolis and the New York Jets. Miami is 2-4.

Buffalo’s Riddick, who scored three touchdowns, said: “Usually, in a close game like this in the past, we would have made a fumble or mistake and it would have been taken away from us. We’re a much better team now and we can’t be pushed around as easily. We won it today with some great plays on offense and really showed character in coming from behind like we did in the second half.”

The Dolphins jumped to a 21-0 lead with Marino throwing touchdown passes of 5 yards to Mark Duper, 25 yards to James Pruitt and 2 yards to Bruce Hardy. Miami also got a 46-yard fourth-quarter field goal from Fuad Reveiz.

Buffalo also scored on a 41-yard field goal by Norwood in the second quarter, a 14-yard Kelly pass to Burkett and two 1-yard runs by Riddick in the second half.

Buffalo’s comeback was aided by two fourth-quarter fumbles on kick returns by Miami rookie Scott Schwedes. The fumbles led to the tying and go-ahead touchdowns.

“It is about as bad a game as I’ve been around for self-destruction,” Miami Coach Don Shula said. “There is no other way to say it, we just caved in in the second half. Defensively, we didn’t have any pressure when we needed it. Also, we never covered anybody when we had to.”

It was the second straight week Buffalo won in overtime. Non-union kicker Todd Schlopy made a 27-yard field goal last week to beat the New York Giants, 6-3.

Miami lost in overtime last week, 37-31, to the New York Jets.

Before kicking the game-winning field goal Sunday, Norwood had some rough moments. Doug Betters blocked a 22-yard field-goal attempt and Norwood also missed a 43-yard try.