As the Miami Dolphins prepare to host the Buffalo Bills in their final regular-season game to decide the AFC East Division title, here is a look back at five memorable Buffalo wins that Miami fans would likely prefer to forget.
Sept. 19, 2021
Buffalo Bills 35, at Miami Dolphins 0
Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla.
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen threw for two touchdown passes, running back Zach Moss ran for two scores and the Bills knocked out Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa early with a rib injury on their way to a shutout.
Tagovailoa only lasted two series and was knocked out of the game on a failed fourth-down play before being carted to the locker room.
Former William T. Dwyer Community High School star Jacoby Brissett took over for Tagovailoa, completing 24 of 40 passes for 169 yards.
It was the sixth straight series win for the Bills and the largest margin of victory by Buffalo in series history.
Dec. 31, 2017
Buffalo Bills 22, at Miami Dolphins 16
Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla.
The Bills led 10-0 at halftime and were ahead 19-0 in the third quarter before the Dolphins mounted a comeback.
Miami quarterback Jay Cutler took three snaps before he was replaced by David Fales, who completed 29 of 42 passes for 265 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for one score.
Wide receiver Jarvis Landry gave the Dolphins their first touchdown of the game with a 1-yard catch from Fales in the fourth quarter, but he later got ejected – along with running back Kenyan Drake and offensive lineman Jake Brendel – for fighting.
Miami recovered an onside kick as time was winding down, but Fales threw an interception with 49 seconds left to ensure a victory for Buffalo.
The win ended a 17-year playoff drought for the Bills, who clinched a spot in the postseason for the first time since 1999.
Dec. 30, 1995
Miami Dolphins 22, at Buffalo Bills 37
Rich Stadium | Orchard Park, N.Y.
Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 33 of 64 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns but also threw three interceptions in the playoff loss.
The Bills took a commanding 27-0 lead into the fourth quarter and set a playoff-record 341 rushing yards in what turned out to be Don Shula's final game as Miami's head coach.
Shula, who had coached the Dolphins since 1970 and led them to back-to-back Super Bowl victories, including the only perfect season in NFL history, retired soon thereafter. His 347 career victories, which include seven seasons with the Baltimore Colts, are still more than any other coach to date.
Oct. 25, 1987
Buffalo Bills 34, at Miami Dolphins 31 (OT)
Joe Robbie Stadium | Miami-Dade County, Fla.
The Bills rallied from a 21-0 deficit to defeat the Dolphins 34-31 in overtime in their first-ever meeting at Joe Robbie Stadium.
Miami quarterback Dan Marino completed 24 of 36 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to overcome Buffalo's second-half surge.
Trailing 21-3 at halftime, Bills running back Robb Riddick scored three of the team's four touchdowns – two on the ground and one through the air that gave Buffalo a 31-24 lead, but Marino connected with Mark Clayton on a 12-yard score to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
Bills quarterback Jim Kelly finished 29 of 39 for 359 yards and two touchdowns, orchestrating the offense in overtime on the game-winning drive that set up Scott Norwood's 27-yard field goal.
Marino and many of the Miami stars were making their regular-season debut at the team's new home after the 1987 NFL strike led to the cancellation of the originally scheduled opener and replacement players filling the void for the next home game.
The win snapped a six-game losing streak to Miami. The Bills would go on to win their home meeting against the Dolphins 27-0, giving Buffalo its first sweep of Miami since 1966.
Oct. 9, 1983
Buffalo Bills 38, at Miami Dolphins 35 (OT)
Miami Orange Bowl | Miami
The Bills won in Miami for the first time since 1966 in Marino's first career start.
Marino's 322 yards and three touchdowns served as a preview for his 17-year Pro Football Hall of Fame career.
Riddick fumbled the opening kickoff for the Bills at their 17-yard line, but Marino was intercepted on the next play.
After Buffalo took a 14-7 halftime lead, Miami receivers Mark Duper and Mark Clayton helped the Dolphins keep pace with the Bills. Duper's 48-yard touchdown on an option pass from Clayton tied the game at 21 headed into the fourth quarter, and Clayton's 14-yard touchdown catch from Marino gave the Dolphins a 35-28 lead – their first of the game.
But the Bills tied the game in the final seconds on a fourth-and-goal touchdown pass from Joe Ferguson to Joe Cribbs that sent the game into overtime.
Miami had two chances to win in overtime, but Uwe von Schamann missed field goal attempts from 52 and 42 yards. Joe Danelo's 36-yard field goal was good, giving the Bills their first win at the Orange Bowl in 16 previous trips.
Ferguson's 38 completions set Buffalo's single-season record.
Also: 5 memorable Dolphins wins vs. Bills. Watch Bills at Dolphins on 'Sunday Night Football' and coverage throughout the weekend on WPTV and WPTV.com.
