Five snapshots from the Dolphins-Bills series, focusing on October moments in Buffalo...
Oct. 18, 1970
This game at War Memorial Stadium would mark the start of the Dolphins' incredible 20-game run against Buffalo in the 1970s. The Dolphins won 33-14 on this day behind two rushing touchdowns by Larry Csonka, four Garo Yepremian field goals and six takeaways by the defense, including two fumble recoveries by linebacker Jesse Powell.
Oct. 26, 1975
This probably was the most exciting game of the decade in this series, as the Dolphins battled back all afternoon to pull out a victory late. The Dolphins trailed 13-0, 23-14 and 30-21 before rallying for a 35-30 victory. Bob Griese threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jim Mandich with 3:18 left and Jake Scott then intercepted Joe Ferguson to set up Don Nottingham's 1-yard touchdown run with 1:25 left. The Dolphins clinched the victory when defensive end Vern Den Herder recovered a Ferguson fumble on the ensuing drive.
Oct. 4, 1992
This was the Louis Oliver game. The Dolphins safety stole the show when he came up with three interceptions, including one he returned a team-record 103 yards for a touchdown to highlight a 37-10 rout in this battle of unbeaten teams. The other big story of the game was the debut of tight end Keith Jackson, days after he had joined the Dolphins as a free agent. Jackson caught four passes for 64 yards, including one of Dan Marino's three touchdowns on the day.
Oct. 13, 1996
The 3-2 Dolphins faced the 4-1 Bills at Rich Stadium in Jimmy Johnson's first season as head coach and his defense ruled the day. The Dolphins sacked Jim Kelly seven times and picked him off three times in a 21-7 victory. The last interception capped a game-clinching goal-line drive after Buffalo had driven to a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line at the two-minute warning. After an intentional grounding penalty on first down pushed Buffalo back to the 12, the Bills faced a fourth-and-goal from the 10 when Terrell Buckley deflected a pass at the 2-yard line, gained control at the 9 and raced 91 yards for the final touchdown.
Oct. 9, 2005
This was the last time the Dolphins played in Buffalo in October, and the Dolphins dropped a 20-14 decision despite out-gaining the Bills 323-236. The Dolphins had a chance to win late in the fourth quarter, but former Dolphins cornerback Troy Vincent recovered a Ronnie Brown fumble at the Buffalo 18-yard line shortly after the two-minute warning. The Dolphins got the ball back one more time, but their final play from their own 46 ended with a sack by Ryan Denney — yes, the brother of John Denney, who was in his first of 14 years as the Dolphins long-snapper.
