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Buffalo 23, Miami 10

MIAMI, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Travis Henry gained 130 yards on 19 carries Sunday and the Buffalo Bills took advantage of the absence of Miami quarterback Jay Fielder to down the Dolphins, 23-10.

Miami's Ray Lucas struggled in place of the injured Fiedler as Buffalo's defense held an opponent to less than 24 points for the first time this season.

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Fiedler has a 27-10 record as the Dolphins' starter, but he suffered a broken right thumb in last week's thrilling win at Denver.

Lucas, a more mobile quarterback with a less accurate arm, had won his last four starts, all with the New York Jets. But his unfamiliarity with the first unit and the absence of Miami's top two receivers combined to undermine his performance as he threw four interceptions.

"I can play better. I'm not going to go out there and throw four picks ever again, I hope," Lucas said. "It's embarrassing. I embarrassed myself. I embarrassed everyone. I probably won't sleep for the next three days."

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"Obviously, he was pressing and made some mistakes that were costly," Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said.

"We prepared all week knowing Ray was the quarterback," Bills Coach Gregg Williams said. "We looked at film from the preseason and from the Jets. Their system stayed intact today."

The Bills (4-3) came in having allowed a startling 34 points per game and were missing injured cornerback Antoine Winfield from the NFL's only secondary without an interception this season. However, Lucas was unable to develop any rhythm following an early touchdown drive and completed just 13 of 33 passes for 165 yards.

"I was trying to do everything on my own," Lucas said. "I didn't play my game at all today. I don't think I've ever thrown four picks since I was born. I have no excuses. There are none. I could run some times but I tried to throw it. I was off-balance, just terrible, just awful. I let everyone down."

"He had a tough day and he knows it," Wannstedt said. "It has been a while since he has played. It was some mental things. We are playing and things are happening fast. He missed a couple of throws. There are guys open and that is not like him."

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Lucas had a hand in all six of Miami's turnovers, making poor exchanges on a pair of handoffs that resulted in fumbles and throwing the four interceptions. Three of the interceptions were made by Nate Clements, who returned one 29 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter to give the Bills the lead for good at 17-10.

As Miami's offense continued to struggle, the fans at Pro Player Stadium became restless as the offense occasionally heard the boobirds. One fan held a banner that read, "Jay, get well soon." The Dolphins fell to 5-2.

"Six turnovers against a team that is scoring 35 points a game, the second best offense in the league, it is going to be tough winning," Wannstedt said. "It was remarkable the game was as close as it was."

Meanwhile, the defense could not stop Henry, who produced his fifth career 100-yard game. He had a pair of long runs to set up field goals by Mike Hollis.

Drew Bledsoe threw for 182 yards and a touchdown for the Bills, who ended a four-game losing streak in the series. The veteran consoled Lucas after the game.

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"Ray is a good guy and a good player," he said. "I just told him to keep his head up, keep his confidence up and come back and play next week."

Lucas looked fine in the first quarter, directing a 57-yard drive that was capped by his four-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Randy McMichael. But he mishandled the exchange on a reverse, giving Buffalo the ball. Henry's 25-yard run positioned Hollis for a 46-yard kick with 1:39 left in the opening period.

Early in the second quarter, Clements picked off Lucas at the Bills 14, squelching a drive. Two plays later, Eric Moulds got loose for a 70-yard touchdown catch that gave Buffalo a 10-7 lead.

Some hard running by Ricky Williams, who had 97 yards on 25 carries, set up Olindo Mare's 42-yard tying field goal with 4:57 left in the first half. The Dolphins got the ball back, but Clements stepped in front of Lucas' weak pass to the left flat and raced untouched to the end zone.

"As soon as I let it go I knew he was going to pick it," Lucas said. "He sat on it and I got hit in the mouth."

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"I believe the tight end was coming out towards me and I anticipated and just jumped the route," Clements said. "They threw it right there and I just ran for the end zone."

It was more of the same in the third quarter. Lucas drove Miami inside the Buffalo 30 before he was picked off at the eight by Clements, whose three interceptions tied a team record last done 10 years ago by Mark Kelso.

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