--CB Jason Allen played without his protective cast or brace on his fractured right hand, but was replaced in the nickel by CB Nate Jones.

--G Brandon Frye made his first significant contribution of the season by filling in for RG Ike Ndukwe and LG Andy Alleman - who was making his first NFL start for the injured Justin Smiley. The three-guard rotation paid off as the Dolphins found balance in the rushing and passing attack.

--WR Brandon London joined Ted Ginn Jr. as the alternate return man on kickoffs because of an undisclosed injury to RB Patrick Cobbs. Lloyd had one return for 17 yards in the first quarter.

--FB Lousaka Polite made the best of RB Patrick Cobbs' absence by getting some of his touches, including two more conversions in short-yardage situations to keep scoring drives alive. Polite also had two catches for three yards.

--WR Ernest Wilford played his second game in a row after sitting out the previous seven, and tripled his receptions output with two catches for 10 yards, including an 8-yarder that was good for a first down in the fourth quarter that ended in a Dan Carpenter field goal. Wilford entered the game with just one catch for 15 yards in four games.

--OLB Charlie Anderson, mostly a special teams stalwart, had three tackles, including a sack and two forced fumbles - both of which the Bills recovered.

REPORT CARD VS. BILLS

PASSING OFFENSE: A -- QB Chad Pennington played his usual efficient, intelligent game with no mistakes and uncanny accuracy. He completed 23 of 29 for 181 yards and has gone over 3,000 yards for the third time of his career. He spread the ball around to eight receivers, with rookie WR Davone Bess his go-to-guy with a career-high nine catches for 74 yards. He rediscovered his tight ends, particularly Anthony Fasano for three catches for 36 yards, including a 20-yard TD. He posted a 104.2 passer rating.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-plus -- The combo package of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams gained 110 yards on 27 carries for a 4.0 average. Williams would've had a more enjoyable homecoming but the former Toronto Argonaut had a 14-yard TD called back by a questionable hold on TE David Martin. FB Lousaka Polite negated the loss of Patrick Cobbs with two key short-yardage first-down conversions to keep a couple of scoring drives alive.

PASS DEFENSE: A -- The pass rush showed up again after taking the Rams' game off with four sacks, including two by OLB Joey Porter, who now has 161/2. Seldom-used LB Charlie Anderson had a strip-sack, and Porter forced a fumble by a rusty and erratic J.P. Losman to seal the win. CB Will Allen made two game-changing plays, including a breakup and an interception in the end zone to save 11 points. On four-and-5 at Miami's 47, SS Yeremiah Bell made a monstrous stop on Lynch, just one yard shy short of the first down to end any hope of a Buffalo comeback in the fourth quarter.

RUSH DEFENSE: B-plus -- Nose tackle Jason Ferguson dominated the Bills beefy offensive line, plugging the gaps so his linebackers could stack up RB Marshawn Lynch, who was held to 31 yards on 13 carries. If not for Losman's 53 yards of scrambling after the pocket was collapsed, this would've been another A.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-plus - - Rookie kicker Dan Carpenter kicked three more field goals, including his first career 50-yarder, but he did finally miss a meaningless one in the closing minutes to end his streak at 14. He also shanked a kickoff late in the game. Punter Brandon Fields placed two inside the 20, and Miami's kick coverage units contained Buffalo's dangerous returners Leodis McKelvin and Roscoe Parrish all game.

COACHING: A-minus -- The Dolphins followed Coach Tony Sparano's game plan to perfection as they dominated in all three phases, particularly in the all-important time-of-possession (37:31) and turnover categories (2-0). Sparano even won a critical challenge when a Losman completion for a first down deep in Miami's territory was reversed by a heads-up breakup by CB Will Allen. The Bills had to settle for a field goal, instead of potential touchdown.