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Pennington leads Dolphins over slumping Bills

Dec 8, 2008 - 1:10 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- The Buffalo Bills' struggles followed them across the border.

Chad Pennington had another efficient performance, tossing a touchdown and leading the Miami Dolphins to a 16-3 victory over the reeling Bills on Sunday at the Rogers Centre.

Buffalo (6-7) held the AFC East lead after Week Seven, but has since lost six of its last seven contests and fallen to last in the division.

"We were playing so good," Bills cornerback Terrence McGee said. "Our record just flip-flopped, but you got to start strong and finish strong."

With the New York Jets losing to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the Dolphins (8-5) pulled into a three-way tie atop the division with the Jets and Patriots.

Pennington completed 23-of-29 passes for 181 yards and found tight end Anthony Fasano for a 20-yard TD pass with 6:48 left in the first quarter to take an early 7-0 lead.

"We had our two-man running back formation in and Anthony sold the out route and he cut back to the post," Pennington said. "There was a nice seam to throw the ball in."

The Dolphins used Pennington's short passing attack and their two-back system to sustain long drives. Rookie Dan Carpenter connected on 3-of-4 field-goal attempts, including a career-long 50-yarder.

Ronnie Brown rushed for 70 yards on 16 carries and Ricky Williams added 40 on 11 attempts for Miami, which has won six of its last seven games.

"I think throughout the season we've figured out what we have to do to win games," Brown said.

J.P. Losman started in place of an injured Trent Edwards for the Bills, who managed just 207 yards from scrimmage. Losman passed for 123 yards with an interception and lost a fumble in his first start of the season.

The 27-year-old signal caller did not receive much help from the ground game, as Marshawn Lynch had just 31 rushing yards.

"We're just struggling offensively," Bills guard Duke Preston said. "You can't put your finger on it but it's Week 14. It's tough to say you don't have any rhythm."

Losman, however, made the most critical mistake of the game he was picked off by cornerback Will Allen with 2:49 left in the third quarter and the Bills trailing, 13-3.

"Anytime you get a turnover in the red zone it's going to be big," Allen said.