Dolphins Interim Head Coach Todd Bowles Gets First Win
Jojo Doria

Orchard Park, NY

Miami Dolphins interim head coach Todd Bowles got his tenure off to a good start as he directed his team to a 30-23 victory over the Buffalo Bills Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore, who suffered a concussion last week, connected on 10 of 20 passing attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns, while Reggie Bush had a career-day on the ground.

Moore's second touchdown - a 65-yard strike to Brandon Marshall - gave the Dolphins a 20-7 lead less than three minutes into the third quarter.

"Coach [Tony] Sparano meant a lot to a lot of people in that organization, especially the players on the field as well as the coaches," Bowles said. "It's a somber move; you don't expect anything like that to happen, but the guys fought through it. …They've been resilient all year and it was just great to come out here and get a victory."

Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw three interceptions and was off-target most of the afternoon, tossed a pair of touchdowns inside the game's final six minutes.

Sandwiched between the pair of touchdowns by the Bills, Bush scored on a 76-yard run to give him 203 yards rushing on the day. The touchdown scamper and rushing total are both career-bests for Bush, playing in his sixth NFL season.

"We wanted to establish the run," said Bush, who was held to 32 yards in the last meeting with the Bills. "We felt like last game they did a good job at shutting down the running game, so we knew that was a priority for us today."

With 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bills had one last chance from their own 20-yard line. Fitzpatrick completed a pass to Brad Smith, who lateralled the ball across the field to running back C.J. Spiller for a two-yard loss as time expired.

"Our defense played well today and they held us in the game, so it's hard for me to go out there and turn the ball over three times and struggle like I did today," said Fitzpatrick, who completed 31 of 47 attempts for 317 yards. "You hear the boos; you hear all that, so that's the hard thing about playing quarterback when things aren't going well."

Spiller picked up a career-high 91 yards on 12 carries, scoring on a 24-yard run in the first quarter. He also caught nine passes for 76 yards and one touchdown.

After starting 0-7, the Dolphins improve to a record of 5-9. The Bills have dropped seven consecutive contests, falling to 5-9 and last-place in the AFC East.