MIAMI (Ticker) -- Ricky left. Ricky right. Ricky up the middle.
Ricky Williams carried a franchise-record 42 times for 153 yards and a touchdown and the Miami Dolphins used an overwhelming defensive performance to post a 17-7 victory over the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.
The reigning NFL rushing champion, Williams used his 5-10, 226-pound frame to pound the revamped Bills' defense the entire night.
Williams wore down the Bills in the second half, when he carried 25 times for 108 yards. He sealed the victory by plowing into the end zone from one yard with 1:52 remaining to give the Dolphins a 17-7 lead.
"For me to be effective, I have to be more aggressive and pound the ball," said Williams, who has carried 93 times in three games. "I tried to wear them down and put pressure on them every carry. I wanted to take a leadership role tonight so as long as the ball was in my hands, it was my incentive to grind it out."
Williams also said he was more than ready for an expanded role in the second half.
"I was a little fatigued at halftime, but just relaxed and tried to stay focused," Williams said. "I knew I would be playing a big role in the second half."
"He's the best back on the league," Bills coach Gregg Williams said. "That is what everyone said last year when he led the league in rushing. He is one of the best tackle-breakers in the NFL."
Sparked by Williams and a dominating defense that intercepted Drew Bledsoe twice and limited the Bills to 118 total yards and eight first downs, the Dolphins (2-1) controlled the ball for 40:50.
Jay Fiedler threw a 12-yard touchdown to Chris Chambers late in the second quarter for the Dolphins, who have won two straight following a stunning season-opening loss to Houston.
Bledsoe had a forgettable night, completing 10-of-25 passes for 98 yards while getting sacked four times. He was held to 58 yards through the air before picking up 40 on the Bills' final drive.
"I certainly didn't think that we would come out and play the way we did," Bledsoe said. "I thought we would play better than we did. They had a good plan for us and they changed some things up on us which they haven't done in three or four years."
"We're only going to be satisfied as a defense when we collectively go out and accomplish the task, and we did that tonight," said Dolphins free safety Brock Marion, who had an interception in the end zone in the first half. "They (Buffalo) didn't do much today and that's the bottom line. Our success tonight speaks for itself."
Cornerback Nate Clements returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter for the Bills (2-1), who failed in their bid to start 3-0 for the first time since 1991.
It looked like Clements made the play to turn around the game, when he stepped in front of pass by Fielder and brought it back down the left sideline, pulling the Bills within 10-7 with 13:51 remaining.
It was Clements' second interception of the contest. Six of his 12 career interceptions have come against the Dolphins.
Fiedler looked to recover from the interception as he drove the Dolphins into Bills territory on the ensusing drive. But Olindo Mare badly hooked a 44-yard field goal to the right.
But the Dolphins' defense quickly forced a three-and-out, with left end Adewale Ogunleye picking up his second sack of the game on a 2nd-and-13 play.
"We took this game very personally," Ogunleye said. "We're still improving and that's scary. We can be quite a defense."
Bledsoe was forced into passing situations for much of the contest after running back Travis Henry left the game in the second quarter with a rib injury. Untested Joe Burns replaced Henry and gained 22 yards on six carries.
"We put it all together and played with great energy," said Dolphins middle linebacker Zach Thomas. "We played one of the best passing quarterbacks and shut him down."
The Dolphins had no such problems on the ground with Williams, who was coming off last Sunday's performance against the New York Jets in which he carried 34 times for 125 yards.
Taking over on their own 49 with 4:57 to play, the Dolphins gave a steady diet of Williams to the Bills' tiring defense. He carried eight times for 36 yards, including a 21-yard run around the left side to the Bills 8, on the final drive.
Williams provided the exclamation point when he kept his legs churning and barreled just over the goal line from one yard with 1:52 left to cap the scoring. He was originally ruled down, but replay overturned the call.
"I knew it was going to be close," Williams said. "I thought they might review it because in my mind I wasn't really down before I got the ball across."
"It shouldn't surprise anyone the way he played," Bills weak side linebacker Takeo Spikes said. "He has done that every since he's been in the league. He is a great back and we came with high expectations. We knew that he was going to be there from beginning to the end."
Williams broke Lamar Smith's franchise record for carries in a game. Smith carried 40 times for 209 yards in a playoff game against Indianapolis on December 30, 2000.
While the Dolphins put away the game on the ground, it got off to an inauspicious start through the air. On the third play from scrimmage, Fiedler was intercepted by Clements at the Buffalo 24.
But on the Bills' second possession of the opening quarter, Bledsoe returned the favor when he was intercepted by strong safety Sammy Knight, who returned the ball 32 yards to near midfield.
"We expect to dominate week in and week out," Knight said. "We can really hang our hats on this game and use it as a statement."
On the first play from scrimmage in the second quarter, Williams committed one of his few blunders. He caught a short pass in the right flat and fumbled after getting hit by cornerback Antoine Winfield. Linebacker Takeo Spikes scooped up the ball and returned it 29 yards to the Miami 16.
Two plays after Williams' fumble, the Bills committed a miscue of their own. Bledsoe handed the ball to Henry, who ran down the line and pulled up to throw a pass. But Henry's pass intended for Josh Reed in the end zone was intercepted by a diving Patrick Surtain at the 1.
After forcing a three-and-out on the Dolphins' ensuing possession and a short punt by Mark Royals, the Bills seemed poised to break on top.
On first down, Bledsoe found Eric Moulds for 17 yards. He also hooked up with his star receiver for 13 yards on a 3rd-and-11 play to the Miami 9. Moulds, who challenged the Dolphins' secondary earlier the week, did not have another catch.
"We were aggressive all night, and doing the things necessary to get the job done," Madison said. "Go out there and play hard-nosed, in your face defense and good things will happen."
But with 3rd-and-goal from the 8, Bledsoe's pass into the end zone was intercepted by leaping free safety Brock Marion.
The Dolphins finally broke on top right before the half, when they moved 76 yards in eight plays. Fielder kept the march alive with a nine-yard pass to tight end Randy McMichael on 3rd-and-5, and the Dolphins were aided by a 24-yard pass interference penalty on strong safety Lawyer Milloy to the Buffalo 34.
Fiedler was able to cap the drive by firing a strike to Chambers for a 12-yard TD, giving the Dolphins a 7-0 lead with 25 seconds left in the half.
Fiedler completed 16-of-28 passes for 154 yards and two interceptions. Chambers was his favorite target with five catches for 51 yards.
In the half, the Bills managed just 37 total yards and two first downs.
On their ensuing possession of the third quarter, the Dolphins had their most impressive drive of the night as they moved 85 yards in 14 plays, a march that lasted nearly eight minutes.
Williams again carried the load on the drive, rushing for 30 yards on eight attempts. The drive also featured completions by Fiedler of 18 yards to James McKnight and 33 yards to McMichael to the Bills 16.
The drive stalled at the 8, and Mare came on to kick a 26-yard field goal, giving the Dolphins a 10-0 lead with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
