Defense stuffs Dolphins as Bills hold on for win

• Buffalo's first victory in prime time since a win over Jacksonville in 2001
• Jairus Byrd and Bryan Scott came up with big interceptions for the Bills
• Bills DE Mario Williams had his first sack of the season

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — There wasn't a whole lot that was artistic about it, but when you're 3-6 and desperate for a victory, style points don't matter.

A nation of football fans watching NFL Network on Thursday night got to see how frustrating the Bills can be, but they also got to see that the Dolphins aren't any better, and Buffalo came away with a 19-14 victory in front of 69,118 enthusiastic and chilled spectators at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

This was Buffalo's first victory in prime time since a win over Jacksonville in 2001, Gregg Williams' first season as coach, and it was just the third victory for Chan Gailey in 16 games against AFC East foes, the first this season.

Thanks to the three-game losing streak that ended with this victory, the Bills will now spend the rest of the season in the land of win-or-else, and thanks to a solid effort from their league-worst defense, they survived the first week of that life.

With Miami rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill struggling most of the way, the Bills were in control for three quarters. And after the Dolphins finally put together a scoring drive in the fourth quarter with Davone Bess catching a two-yard TD pass, it was left to a defense that has allowed the most points in the NFL this season.

Jairus Byrd helped the cause with a remarkable diving interception with 1:54 remaining, and when the offense failed to make a first down, Miami had one more chance with 1:24 to go, but Bryan Scott snuffed that out with an interception near midfield with 41 seconds remaining.

The night got off to an electrifying start as the Bills defense forced a three-and-out on the opening series, and Leodis McKelvin ran the ensuing punt back 79 yards for a touchdown, his second of the year, and they are two of the three longest in the NFL this season.

Miami went three-and-out on its second possession, and it's third lasted one play as Brian Hartline lost a fumble that was forced by Stephon Gilmore and recovered by Byrd.

At this point, the Bills went into field goal mode as Ryan Fitzpatrick drove them into position for the first of Rian Lindell's four first-half field goals as he hit Stevie Johnson with back-to-back passes that gained 31 yards.

Miami answered its special teams breakdown by exposing the Bills on the kickoff as Marcus Thigpen ran it back 96 yards for a touchdown as the Buffalo coverage unit looked out of position.

Lindell made it 13-7 late in the lengthy first quarter, a 60-yard drive that bogged down in the red zone after Fitzpatrick had hit C.J. Spiller for a 25-yard gain and Scott Chandler for 24 yards.

On the third field goal drive, Miami cornerback Nolan Carroll contributed two pass interference penalties totaling 46 yards, but again, the Bills reached the red zone and stalled, so Lindell kicked a 42-yarder.

Finally, after Mario Williams' first sack of the season at the Ralph trapped Ryan Tannehill at the 2, the Bills began a drive at their 47 at the two-minute warning. Spiller gained 33 yards on back-to-back snaps, and then spent the final six plays mysteriously watching from the sidelines.

In what became a trend, the offense ground to a halt and Lindell had to come in to kick a 19-yard field goal for the 19-7 halftime lead.

At the break, the Dolphins had two first downs — one of which came on a Marcell Dareus penalty — and just 50 yards of total offense.

And things didn't get much better in the third quarter as the Dolphins didn't reach the Buffalo side of the 50 until 3 1/2 minutes were left to play. That possession ended when Dan Carpenter missed a 50-yard field goal.

After a scoreless third quarter, Miami made it interesting with an 81-yard drive, which was more yardage than it had through three quarters. Tannehill finally found a groove, and Bess made a great catch for the score, a play that was originally ruled no catch, but was reviewed and reversed by the officials.

Sal Maiorana writes for the Democrat and Chronicle, a Gannett property.