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Late FG lifts Bills past struggling Dolphins

Oct 20, 2013 - 10:48 PM Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Dan Carpenter kicked a 31-yard field goal with 33 seconds left after Mario Williams sacked Ryan Tannehill to force a fumble, lifting the Buffalo Bills to a 23-21 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Carpenter kicked two field goals for the only points scored by either team in the fourth quarter and had three overall against his former team. The winner came after Williams powered through veteran right tackle Tyson Clabo to hit Tannehill, forcing the fumble.

"I came through clean and realized I had a shot at it (stripping the ball) and was going for it (the strip) all the way," said Williams. "This was a big win for us, a tough division road game and it feels great to come out on top."

Lineman Kyle Williams fell on the ball at the Miami 34 with 2:48 remaining and Fred Jackson had a key 10-yard pick up on 3rd-and-4 to keep the drive moving. Out of timeouts, Miami couldn't stop the clock and Carpenter drove his kick straight through the middle of the uprights.

"There really was not much of a thought process," said Carpenter. "We got a great snap and hold and I just put it through like I have many times before."

Tannehill overthrew a wide-open Brian Hartline down the left side and had a Hail Mary pass knocked down in the end zone as time expired after eluding several tackles.

Miami-area native Thad Lewis, making his second start while EJ Manuel recovers from a knee sprain, passed for just 202 yards with an interception but the Bills (3-4) snapped a two-game losing streak and got their first win against an AFC East opponent this season.

Jackson went down holding his left leg after a run in the first quarter but returned shortly after that and had a 3-yard touchdown run that gave Buffalo an early 14-0 lead.

Bills rookie cornerback Nickell Robey had a 19-yard interception return for a touchdown just 93 seconds into the game.

"That's not the way anyone envisions starting," said Tannehill. "We did a good job battling back but we didn't make the plays we needed to."

Tannehill passed for 194 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Brandon Gibson, but threw two interceptions -- the pick-six to Robey and one in the end zone.

Coming off a bye, the Dolphins (3-3) suffered their third straight loss after starting 3-0. Sunday was their first division game of the season.

They trailed 14-0 after the first quarter but pulled within 17-14 on Gibson's acrobatic 13-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left in the first half, then took the lead on his 4-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

The 75-yard drive at the end of the half was helped along by Mike Wallace's 46-yard catch down the right side and Gibson's diving 16-yard reception on the left sideline.

One play later, Gibson caught a pass over the middle near the 10-yard line, leapt from four yards out and helicoptered into the end zone after being hit in the air by Bills safety Da'Norris Searcy.

Gibson's 4-yard touchdown catch capped a 66-yard drive early in the third quarter and made it 21-17 Miami. It was the 26-year-old receiver's second career two-touchdown game.

A 15-play, 72-yard Bills drive stalled and Carpenter -- who played for Miami from 2008-12 -- kicked a 20-yard field goal to get Buffalo within a point early in the fourth quarter.

Both teams punted twice after that before Tannehill's fumble on second down. Mario Williams drove Clabo back into the Dolphins quarterback to strip the ball. It was his second sack of the game and 10th of the season.

"They have some good pass rushers," said Tannehill. "They got a good jump and did a good job getting to me."

The two-point win marked the fifth time this season the Bills played a game settled by three points or fewer.

"They made the plays they had to make to win the game," said Dolphins coach Joe Philbin.

Earlier, Robey jumped in front of Gibson to pick off Tannehill's pass on the third play of the game and raced 19 yards down the right side, doing a front flip onto his back when he got to the end zone.

Jackson, who had his left leg rolled on by tight end Scott Chandler at the end of a run, finished off a 44-yard drive with a 3-yard run through the right side of the line, breaking a tackle before the goal line to make it 14-0.

Aaron Williams intercepted Tannehill in the end zone, but the Bills punted and Lamar Miller's 30-yard run up the gut on first down help set up Charles Clay's 7-yard touchdown catch to get the Dolphins within 14-7 in the second quarter.

Jared Odrick pressured Manuel, making contact as the Bills quarterback threw down the middle, and Chris Clemons intercepted the pass, but Caleb Sturgis missed a 51-yard field goal try off the right upright for Miami.

Carpenter made a 39-yarder that gave the Bills a 17-7 lead with 3:14 left in the first half.

Game Notes

Wallace had five catches for 76 yards ... Jackson rushed 11 times for 36 yards and caught four passes for 49 ... Daniel Thomas led Miami with 60 yards rushing on 12 attempts ... The Bills are on the road again next Sunday at New Orleans ... The Dolphins will be on the road against the New England Patriots ... Gibson also had two touchdown catches last Nov. 18 against the Jets as a member of the Rams ... Lewis was born in Opa-Locka, Fla., about four miles from Sun Life Stadium.