Reich Right on the Money for Bills, 24-14 : AFC: Backup quarterback passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns in division-clinching victory over Dolphins.

Frank Reich, playing in place of injured Jim Kelly, completed 15 of 21 passes for a career-high 234 yards and two touchdowns, and Thurman Thomas ran for 154 yards and a score as the Buffalo Bills beat the Miami Dolphins, 24-14, to wrap up their third consecutive AFC East title and the home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

The game ended with many of the 80,235 fans running onto the field to tear down both goal posts and engage in a long postgame party.

“We were ready to play Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; it was very emotional,” defensive end Bruce Smith said. “We had coaches banging their heads against the walls all week.”

Coach Marv Levy, told the goal posts went down, quipped: “That’s too bad, we’re going to need them later.”

With Kelly out with a sprained knee until at least the first playoff game, Reich did just fine. He wasn’t sacked and was virtually untouched as his offensive line gave him all the time he needed.

“He had a near-perfect game,” Miami Coach Don Shula said of Reich, who also quarterbacked Buffalo to a 31-17 victory over Miami last season. “He had a perfect game against us last year and he did pretty much the same thing today.”

Said Levy: “It was the same game plan we would have had Jim Kelly been in there.”

Added Reich: “I’m just happy they let me do that. I got pumped a little bit and things were working.”

The loss knocked the Dolphins (11-4) out of contention for the division title, which they could have won with victories over Buffalo and Indianapolis. Miami already had clinched a wild-card spot in the playoffs.

“It’s a real downer for us,” Shula said. “We had the chance to win here and win next week and have all the things that go with winning.”

Effectively using the no-huddle offense that Kelly ran so well, Reich threw touchdown passes of seven yards to James Lofton and 11 to Andre Reed in the 33-degree weather and drizzling rain.

The pass to Lofton gave the Bills a 7-0 halftime lead, then Buffalo took advantage of Marc Logan’s fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half, going 32 yards to score on the pass to Reed.

After Dan Marino hooked up with Mark Duper on a 30-yard touchdown pass play for Miami, Reich threw a 43-yard pass to Don Beebe that set up Scott Norwood’s 21-yard field goal.

Beebe later had to leave the game with a broken leg.

Early in the fourth quarter, Reich directed a 76-yard, 13-play drive that was capped by Thomas’ 13-yard touchdown run.

Buffalo’s defense limited Miami to 35 rushing yards and controlled Marino, sacking him three times and forcing two turnovers.

Marino completed 24 of 43 passes for 286 yards and Mark Clayton, who had missed the last six games with a knee injury, caught eight passes for 108 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown pass with one minute left.

Both sides squandered early scoring chances.

The Bills lost two opportunities, the first when Reich fumbled at the Miami 23 after a drive from his own seven after the opening kickoff, the second when Reed dropped what would have been a 38-yard touchdown pass in the end zone on the second drive.

Miami then drove 78 yards to the Buffalo 11, but Pete Stoyanovich’s chip-shot field-goal attempt was wide left. It was only his third miss in 24 attempts this year.

But Buffalo didn’t fail the third time, driving 80 yards and overcoming two holding calls to take a 7-0 lead on Reich’s seven-yard pass to Lofton.

The Bills’ second-half kickoff was short and Logan, attempting to make a running catch, never got control. Carlton Bailey recovered at the Miami 32 and it took just six plays for Buffalo to score with Reich passing 11 yards to Reed for the touchdown 3:09 into the third quarter.

Logan took another short kickoff 35 yards up the sideline to the Buffalo 35. Two plays later, from the 30, Marino threw a scoring pass to Duper.