It was the template you thought the Miami Dolphins would follow for success against the Buffalo Bills: Establish the run, and put Chad Henne in good situations when throwing the football.
Well, the Dolphins held the ball for more than 37 minutes, and piled up 250 rushing yards for their first victory of the 2009 season, 38-10 over the fading Buffalo Bills.
Henne was efficient, completing 14-of-22 passes for 115 yards and his first NFL touchdown pass, a 5-yard toss to rookie Brian Hartline.
But the story of this game was the Miami offensive line, which cleared the way for Ronnie Brown's 20-carry, 115-yard, 2 TD effort.
Ricky Williams also got in on the act with 16 carries for 85 yards and another score.
The defense played its best game of the young season, limiting Trent Edwards to 192 passing yards, and recording the first three interceptions of the season.
Will Allen had two, and Vontae Davis got the first big play when he stepped in front of an Edwards pass and returned it 23 yards to give the Fins a 10-0 lead.
The pass rush was also impressive.
Cameron Wake made his first big impact as a Dolphin, recording three sacks, and Jason Taylor finally made his presence felt with two more.
All told, the Dolphins had a season-high six sacks, all the more impressive since sack leader Joey Porter missed the game with a shoulder injury.
The run defense, ranked third in the league entering the game, continued to shine, holding Buffalo to 46 yards on the day.
With a big division game against the New York Jets coming up next Monday night, Sunday should be a harbinger of what the Dolphins want to do the rest of the season.
A dominant running attack and solid defense can lead to victories, and can limit the pressure put on Henne to win games by himself.
If the Dolphins can do the same things they did against Buffalo, they may find themselves back in the division race come next Tuesday.
(Photo: Yahoo Images)
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