Dan Carpenter

DENVER - The Miami Dolphins bottled up Denver's ground game and intercepted Jay Cutler three times in a 26-17 win over the befuddled Broncos yesterday, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Cornerback Will Allen returned the second of Cutler's mistakes 32 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, and the Dolphins (4-4) scored 13 of their points off turnovers. In the last five games, the Broncos (4-4) have allowed 60 points off turnovers while not scoring a single point off takeaways themselves.

Ryan Fitzpatrick knows his play is nowhere near where it needs to be, and his struggles are coinciding with his team's free-fall. Fitzpatrick labored again in Buffalo's 30-23 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, throwing a season-high three interceptions that contributed to the Bills' seventh straight loss. "I just haven't been able to connect for whatever reason," Fitzpatrick said. "As the one that is the leader of this offense, we haven't played well as an offense, and a lot of that falls on me. I've got to be better, bottom line.

MIAMI — Bills defenders heard boos nearly every time they headed to the bench — a soundtrack for success, because the jeers were directed at the home team. “Music to our ears,’’ safety Donte Whitner said with a grin. Resurgent Buffalo showed yesterday just how much it has improved since the start of the season, and the Dolphins again looked lousy at home. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes and Buffalo won, 17-14, eliminating Miami from the AFC playoff race.

With the snow falling, Reggie Bush and the Miami Dolphins didn't look out of place after the running back slid feet-first through the end zone to celebrate the longest run and most productive game of his career. Bush rushed for a career-high 203 yards and his 76-yard TD run helped seal a 30-23 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Miami interim coach Todd Bowles' debut after Tony Sparano was fired last week. Matt Moore showed no signs of a head and neck injury that sidelined him a week ago by throwing two touchdown passes — a 22-yarder to Anthony Fasano and a 65-yard strike to...

TORONTO - This was a lot better for safety Yeremiah Bell and the Miami Dolphins than dodging snowballs at Ralph Wilson Stadium. And maybe, it's the Dolphins - because it certainly wasn't the unraveling Buffalo Bills - who can lay claim to being Toronto's team this weekend. Taking advantage of an indifferent Bills "home" crowd and an inept Buffalo offense, the resurgent Dolphins continued their remarkable turnaround from last year's 1-15 finish by scoring a decisive 16-3 win yesterday.

MIAMI - Ted Ginn Jr.'s career in Miami began with boos, and it took 18 months for him to silence the critics. A draft bust no more, Ginn made seven catches yesterday for a career-high 175 yards, and the Dolphins overcame a 9-point third-quarter deficit to beat Buffalo, 25-16. With Ginn's first 100-yard game, he made by far his biggest impact since Miami's much-mocked decision to take him with the ninth overall pick last year. Fans at a draft party booed when the selection was announced, and he has heard plenty of criticism since.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — When Brandon Marshall found out that Packers defensive standout Charles Woodson wouldn’t be shadowing him for the whole game yesterday, he didn’t need to tell quarterback Chad Henne what to do. Marshall told him anyway: Throw me the ball. Henne did, over and over, helping the Dolphins (3-2) wear down a Green Bay defense that has been depleted by injuries. Dan Carpenter then delivered the knockout punch in overtime, hitting a 44-yard field goal for a 23-20 Dolphins victory.

CINCINNATI — The Dolphins knotted their ties, slipped on their suit coats, and headed for the bus, another impressive win in their travel bag. “The plane ride home will be a nice one,’’ receiver Brandon Marshall said. Always is for the NFL’s kings of the road. Dan Carpenter kicked five field goals for the second game in a row — a rare feat — and the Dolphins overcame another goofy play yesterday, beating the Cincinnati Bengals, 22-14, to stay unbeaten on the road.

Rudy Carpenter threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Overbay with 3:11 remaining, giving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 17-13 preseason victory over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night. Josh Freeman directed a TD drive just before the half to finish on a positive note. Connor Barth kicked a 28-yard field goal for the Bucs, who overcame 15 penalties in a performance not nearly as crisp as they'd hoped for coming off last week's sloppy, lopsided loss to New England. Brandon Marshall scored on a 60-yard reception from Chad Henne and Dan Carpenter kicked field...

MIAMI — Ben Roethlisberger and several other players waged an end zone scrum for a loose ball so frantic the officials were unable to determine a winner. That gave the game to the Steelers. A video review determined Roethlisberger’s late touchdown was instead a fumble, but because it was unclear who recovered, Pittsburgh kept the ball and kicked the winning field goal on the next play to beat the Miami Dolphins, 23-22, yesterday. “Just a bizarre kind of play. You hate to win it that way, but you’ll take a win,’’ Roethlisberger said.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - All the warnings coach Tom Coughlin gave the New York Giants before their game with the winless Miami Dolphins seemingly went in one ear and out the other. The Giants' running game was nonexistent. The defense showed up for a half. And as the minutes ticked by, it seemed the Dolphins were sensing victory - that is, until Eli Manning stole it from them, like so many others before. Manning threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz with 5:58 to play and the Giants barely avoided a post-bye letdown, keeping Miami (0-7)

The winless Miami Dolphins keep finding ways to lose in the closing minutes, and it's only adding to the pressure on embattled coach Tony Sparano. Sparano could merely watch as Eli Manning threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz with 5:58 to play for the winning score. The Dolphins (0-7) blew a fourth-quarter lead for the second straight week Sunday and dropped a 20-17 decision to the New York Giants. "When it gets into the 55th minute, we've got to find ways to make those kind of plays," Sparano said.

Four years removed from the worst season in franchise history, the Miami Dolphins are trying to ignore the whispers that another 1-15 record is in the making. The Dolphins fell to 0-5 Monday night, victimized by Darrelle Revis' 100-yard interception return and two long, timely drives by the Jets' offense. New York ended its three-game slide with a 24-6 victory that kept Miami at the bottom of the league. "This is embarrassing," said receiver Brandon Marshall, who was the target on Revis' first of two picks.

Rudy Carpenter threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Overbay with 3:11 remaining, giving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 17-13 preseason victory over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night. Josh Freeman directed a TD drive just before the half to finish on a positive note. Connor Barth kicked a 28-yard field goal for the Bucs, who overcame 15 penalties in a performance not nearly as crisp as they'd hoped for coming off last week's sloppy, lopsided loss to New England. Brandon Marshall scored on a 60-yard reception from Chad Henne and Dan Carpenter...

Raheem Morris joked that maybe it's time he stop harping about how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to play better early in games. Josh Freeman directed a touchdown drive just before halftime and third-string quarterback Rudy Carpenter capped a fourth-quarter scoring drive with a 7-yard TD pass to Nathan Overbay with 3:11 remaining, giving the Bucs a 17-13 preseason victory over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night. "I'm going to stop talking about starting faster and enjoy the way these guys finish," Morris said.

MIAMI — Bills defenders heard boos nearly every time they headed to the bench — a soundtrack for success, because the jeers were directed at the home team. “Music to our ears,’’ safety Donte Whitner said with a grin. Resurgent Buffalo showed yesterday just how much it has improved since the start of the season, and the Dolphins again looked lousy at home. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes and Buffalo won, 17-14, eliminating Miami from the AFC playoff race.

The winless Miami Dolphins keep finding ways to lose in the closing minutes, and it's only adding to the pressure on embattled coach Tony Sparano. Sparano could merely watch as Eli Manning threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz with 5:58 to play for the winning score. The Dolphins (0-7) blew a fourth-quarter lead for the second straight week Sunday and dropped a 20-17 decision to the New York Giants. "When it gets into the 55th minute, we've got to find ways to make those kind of plays," Sparano said.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - All the warnings coach Tom Coughlin gave the New York Giants before their game with the winless Miami Dolphins seemingly went in one ear and out the other. The Giants' running game was nonexistent. The defense showed up for a half. And as the minutes ticked by, it seemed the Dolphins were sensing victory - that is, until Eli Manning stole it from them, like so many others before. Manning threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz with 5:58 to play and the Giants barely avoided a post-bye letdown, keeping Miami (0-7)

CINCINNATI — The Dolphins knotted their ties, slipped on their suit coats, and headed for the bus, another impressive win in their travel bag. “The plane ride home will be a nice one,’’ receiver Brandon Marshall said. Always is for the NFL’s kings of the road. Dan Carpenter kicked five field goals for the second game in a row — a rare feat — and the Dolphins overcame another goofy play yesterday, beating the Cincinnati Bengals, 22-14, to stay unbeaten on the road.

MIAMI — Ben Roethlisberger and several other players waged an end zone scrum for a loose ball so frantic the officials were unable to determine a winner. That gave the game to the Steelers. A video review determined Roethlisberger’s late touchdown was instead a fumble, but because it was unclear who recovered, Pittsburgh kept the ball and kicked the winning field goal on the next play to beat the Miami Dolphins, 23-22, yesterday. “Just a bizarre kind of play. You hate to win it that way, but you’ll take a win,’’ Roethlisberger said.