MIAMI (Ticker) -- Thurman Thomas dominated the headlines this week, but the defense of the Miami Dolphins dominated the game.
With most of the attention focused on Thomas in his first game against the Buffalo Bills, Trace Armstrong led a ferocious pass rush and Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain and unheralded rookie Jermaine Haley also starred on defense in a 22-13 victory.
The win was the fourth straight for Miami (5-1), which moved into sole possession of first place in the AFC East ahead of the New York Jets (4-1), who suffered their first loss today to Pittsburgh.
"We're not shocked," Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler said of his team's start. "We came into camp knowing we're a great team because our great defense was coming back."
The Bills (2-3) have lost three straight against AFC East opponents.
The 34-year-old Thomas spent his first 12 years with the Bills and is the team's all-time leading rusher. But he was unceremoniously released after the 1999 season and harbors ill feelings for the way he was cut loose. During the week, Thomas vowed to "stick it (to the Bills) and let them know I didn't forget what happened."
Thomas played with a sore groin but ended up making a contribution, rushing seven times for 24 yards and catching three passes for 26 yards. Afterwards, he was awarded a game ball.
"This (the game ball) is one I'll keep for a long time," Thomas said. "I didn't make a lot of plays but I made some. It was strange (playing against the Bills) but I know who I play for now."
"He was up for the game," Fiedler said of Thomas. "It's easy to feed off a guy like that. He got everybody fired up."
But the story of the day was the Miami defense.
Armstrong recorded 3 1/2 sacks, raising his season total to 10, Surtain forced a key fumble that fellow cornerback Madison returned 20 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and Haley recorded a safety when he tackled running back Jonathan Linton in the end zone.
"At this point of your career, you savor every one (sack)," Armstrong said. "We have a bunch of guys that fight. This was a slugfest. I know I'm tired. It's a last man standing kind of feeling."
Buffalo's Rob Johnson ran for his life most of the day, getting sacked five times and hurried 11 times. He left late in the fourth quarter holding his right arm. Johnson finished 11-of-26 for 178 yards.
"I have tendinitis there (in the elbow) and I got hit there," Johnson said. "We are struggling. The last two games I think we put up decent yardage, but we've lost all our close games."
Doug Flutie replaced him and was intercepted by Jerry Wilson and sacked by Armstrong.
Fiedler completed 14-of-24 passes for 143 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown to Leslie Shepherd in the second quarter.
The Dolphins controlled the first half, compiling 11 first downs to just three for Buffalo and outgained the Bills, 179-39. However, Miami only held a 13-3 halftime advantage despite the disparity.
The Dolphins opened the game with a 11-play, 48-yard drive which resulted in a 30-yard field goal by Olindo Mare. Thomas had a six-yard run and Fiedler connected with Oronde Gadsden on a 21-yard pass.
After a 25-yard punt by Matt Turk inside his own 5 set up the Bills at the Miami 29, the Bills were unable to get a first down and settled for a 45-yard field goal by Steve Christie, tying the game at 3-3 with 1:50 left in the quarter.
Thomas figured in Miami's next scoring drive, gaining 15 yards on a well-designed screen pass. After being hit hard to the ground by Bills linebacker John Holecek at the Buffalo 20, Thomas sprung to his feet, ran toward the middle of the field and signaled first down with his right arm.
Four plays later, Mare kicked a 33-yard field goal to give Miami a 6-3 lead with 7:26 left in the half.
After Buffalo was held to minus-three yards on their next possession, the Dolphins took over at their 43 and needed just five plays to reach the end zone.
Fiedler hit Bert Emanuel with a 35-yard pass and completed the drive with a 20-yard scoring pass to Shepherd, who outleaped cornerback Antoine Winfield for the ball in the right corner of the end zone, increasing Miami's lead to 13-3 with 1:51 left in the half.
"We had four wideouts and it was hard on them to decide who to cover," Shepherd said. "Me and Bert were 1-on-1. Jay threw it in a spot where I could go up and make a play."
The only scoring in the third quarter came from Miami's defense. After a 41-yard punt by Turk went out of bounds at the Buffalo 1, Johnson threw an incompletion. On the next play, Johnson handed off to Linton three yards deep in the end zone and he was tackled by Haley, a 6-4, 305-pounder who made his first NFL start. He played one year at Butte Junior College in California.
"It was a great call for our defense," Haley said. "I figured they were going to run right at me and they came to me. This is my first safety and I'm going to enjoy it."
Buffalo rallied in the fourth quarter on a 23-yard field goal by Steve Christie and a three-yard TD run by rookie Sammy Morris, pulling within 15-13 with 8:34 left.
Christie's second field goal capped a seven-play, 55-yard drive highlighted by a 32-yard catch by running back Shawn Bryson.
The Bills went 82 yards on three plays and a penalty on their only touchdown drive. Johnson hit Jeremy McDaniel with a 14-yard pass and connected with a 41-yard bomb to Peerless Price on the first two plays. A 24-yard pass interference penalty against Surtain, who bumped receiver Eric Moulds, moved Buffalo to the Miami 3 to set up Morris' TD.
Buffalo took over at its own 16 with a chance to take the lead. But after catching a short pass, Morris had the ball jarred ball loose by Surtain and Madison caught the ball out of the air at the Buffalo 20 and raced down the right sideline into the end zone with 4:45 left to give Miami a 22-13 advantage.
"That was a big play for us," Madison said. "Patrick came up and made a great hit. No one saw the ball come loose but me. It just caught me in the hands."
Wilson intercepted a pass by Flutie at the two-minute warning to seal the win.
