MIAMI (AP) – The fiercest hits by Miami Dolphins defenders sent opposing helmets flying. The ball squirted loose a few times too, further evidence of the Buffalo Bills’ once-promising season slipping away.

The Dolphins set up two touchdowns with interceptions and mounted a goal-line stand as their improbable midseason surge gained momentum Sunday when they drubbed Buffalo 35-8. Matt Moore threw for three scores.

After losing their first seven games, the Dolphins (3-7) have three consecutive victories for the first time since 2008, winning by a combined score of 86-20. An improving defense has led the turnaround by keeping the opposition out of the end zone for three straight games.

“You can see how good we can be,” said safety Yeremiah Bell, who made an interception. “This is where we expected to be at the beginning of the season. It just took us awhile.”

Heading the other direction are the Bills (5-5), who have been outscored 106-26 while losing three in a row.

“We’re baffled as to what has happened,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “For the past three weeks, it has not been fun to play, and I’m sure it has not been fun to watch.”

To make matters worse for the injury-riddled Bills, NFL rushing leader Fred Jackson sat out much of the second half with a bruised right calf, and two players were carted off. Cornerback Terrence McGee hurt his left knee and will probably miss the rest of the season, coach Chan Gailey said, and receiver Donald Jones could miss three to six weeks with a left ankle injury.

The Dolphins, who came into the game tied for last in the league with four interceptions, twice picked off passes that deflected off receivers. Both turnovers led to touchdowns.

“I wouldn’t want to play against our defense,” Miami receiver Brandon Marshall said. “It seems like every time the ball was in the air, there was a big hit.”

Jared Odrick contributed a sack and reprised his celebratory Pee-wee Herman dance.

“A tremendous dance,” coach Tony Sparano said.

The fifth and final TD came on a blocked punt by Chris Clemons, which Lex Hilliard recovered on the goal line for a 35-6 lead. The score on a blocked punt was Miami’s first since 1990.

The goal-line stand came midway through the second half, when Miami stopped the Bills four times after they had a first down at the 2.

The Dolphins scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and led 21-3 after 18 minutes. Moore threw little after that and finished 14 for 20 for 160 yards, with a passer rating of 133.3.

“Guys around me are making big plays and making it easy for the quarterback,” Moore said. “It’s such a good feeling.”

Fitzpatrick, who has yet to win a game since signing a $59 million, six-year contract last month, was sacked twice and had a rating of 45.8. He has 12 turnovers in the past six games.

Jackson was held to 17 yards on seven carries. The Bills fumbled four times, and while they recovered them all, they went 0 for 14 on third- and fourth-down conversions – a rate of futility that left Gailey shaking his head.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been through that before, ever,” Gailey said. “When you’re that bad, you’re having a pitiful day.”

By the third quarter, the Bills’ ineptitude had become farcical. On one play, the wet ball slipped out of Fitzpatrick’s hand as he prepared to pass, so he caught it and tried again, throwing a short completion. Even hiking the ball was problematic for the Bills, with Fitzpatrick forced to reach for several errant snaps.

The past three weeks, the Bills have totaled two touchdowns, and one came during garbage time.

Buffalo took the opening kickoff and drove for a field goal, then went 25 minutes without a first down. Bad field position hurt the Bills, who started eight possessions inside their 20.

Miami mounted an 87-yard drive on its first possession, capped by Moore’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano. The Dolphins forced a punt, then struck again. Moore’s 46-yard pass to Charles Clay set up a 5-yard scoring run by Reggie Bush.

When Nolan Carroll intercepted a pass that slipped through the hands of Buffalo’s Brad Smith, Miami was in business again at the Bills 23. Moore then threw a 12-yard scoring pass to Clay for the rookie’s first career TD.

Late in the first half, Bell intercepted a pass that deflected off David Nelson and returned it to the Buffalo 4. Moore then hit Davone Bess with a 4-yard scoring pass for a 28-3 lead. The halftime point total was Miami’s largest since 2002.

“This is nice for the guys,” said Sparano, whose team was a league laughingstock not long ago. “They’re just worried about doing their job and trying to prove people wrong. They make me smile a little bit. I don’t know that I want to show that, though. They’ll think I’m getting soft.”

Notes: The Dolphins are the third NFL team to win three consecutive games at any point after starting a season 0-7. … A streak of 735 punts without a block by Buffalo’s Brian Moorman ended. It was the third-longest such streak in NFL history. … The Bills’ Dave Rayner kicked a career-long 56-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

If you looked closely enough, you would have recognized a momentary fight for the ball in the end zone between two players of the same team Sunday.

When Chris Clemons blocked Brian Moorman’s punt in the third quarter, a mad dash ensued to recover the ball in the end zone. Lex Hilliard appeared to nudge Clemons out of the way for the recovery.

“When I got up and saw it and I saw Lex, I was thinking, ‘Let me get it! Don’t mess with it!’ Clemons said. “I am glad he got it, though.”

Clemons’ blocked punt and Hilliard’s recovery put the Dolphins ahead 35-6.

It was the Dolphins’ first blocked punt since 2008.

“It’s big,” Clemons said. “Any time you can score on special teams you can change the game.”

Red-zone success

The Dolphins scored a touchdown all four times they reached the red zone against the Bills. By comparison, the Dolphins only scored four touchdowns total between Week 2 and Week 7.

The red-zone offense has blossomed under quarterback Matt Moore. Moore has led the Dolphins offense to 11 touchdowns in the past 16 red-zone opportunities.

“Today, the defense put us in good spots,” tight end Anthony Fasano said. “When the team wins and plays well, it’s because it was a team win. Offense, defense, special teams all did their part [Sunday], and the battle in the red zone is what we need to win.”

Clay’s big day

Rookie fullback Charles Clay was awarded the game ball after having the best game of his young career.

The sixth-round draft pick caught his first career touchdown in the second quarter to give the Dolphins a 21-3 lead. He had career highs in receptions (four), yards (69) and long reception (46).

He also scored the first touchdown of his career

“I was happy for him,” coach Tony Sparano said. “The guy has been making big plays each week the last couple of weeks. Then he catches the big deep ball. That was a big play.”

Clay created space against Bills free safety Jairus Byrd over the middle, and Moore recognized it. He hit Clay in stride to put the Dolphins at the 11-yard line.

“They have been moving me around and doing lots of things to present different mismatches,” Clay said.

Records watch

Defensive end Jason Taylor recorded a sack in the second half when he ran down Ryan Fitzpatrick and stripped the ball.

Taylor is ranked eighth on the NFL’s all-time sack list with 136 1/2 and needs one to tie Richard Dent and John Randle for sixth. Bruce Smith holds the record with 200 sacks.

Dancing Odrick

Defensive end Jared Odrick seems to be getting a little better at his sack dance. Odrick’s dance moves looked a little more polished compared to previous games.

Odrick has recorded four sacks in five games. After slamming Fitzpatrick to the turf, he sprang to his feet and looked around at the crowd while waiting for the stadium to cue his music. Pee-wee Herman would have been proud.

“They cued the music, so I was pretty psyched about that,” Odrick said. “So, we’ll see if we can keep that going.

“I can’t really say more about the dance. It speaks for itself.”

Odrick made his first start of the season against the Bills.

“I loved his dance today,” Sparano said.

Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post

Defensive end Jared Odrick (98) celebrates his sack of Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in the third quarter at Sun Life Stadium.

By Brian Biggane

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 9:40 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011

Posted: 8:22 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011

MIAMI GARDENS — Two Buffalo players had to be carted off the field and several others had to be helped to the sideline. The way Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell saw it, the carnage reached a point where the Bills just quit trying.

“In the first half, when we jumped on them, the way the game was going and the way they were playing, they laid down,” Bell said Sunday after Miami’s 35-8 victory. “We were putting a hat to them and flying all over the place.

“When we don’t make mistakes, we execute, and everybody’s in the right spot, we’re a pretty good defense. We did that today, and I feel they laid down.”

That’s a harsh assessment of an opponent, but the Dolphins’ punishing defense was undeniable as it refused to yield a touchdown for the third consecutive game.

Even a teammate, wide receiver Brandon Marshall, could see what was going on.

“I wouldn’t want to play against those guys,” Marshall said. “It seemed like every time the ball was in the air there was a big hit. That sends a message not only to the guys on the other sideline, but the guys we’ll be facing in the future.”

Fred Jackson came into the game as the league’s leading rusher and left with a bruised calf and 17 yards on seven carries. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has a new $59 million contract, threw two interceptions, was sacked twice and was on the run all day. No. 1 receiver Stevie Johnson caught only two of the eight passes thrown his way.

“We’re flying around, having fun,” inside linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “It’s getting contagious, really.”

The Dolphins were at or near the bottom of the league in several defensive categories during their 0-7 start, but veteran linebacker Jason Taylor said the improvement began when coaches made a change coming out of the bye week in mid-October.

“We really relaxed a lot and the guys are playing accordingly,” Taylor said. “When you’re relaxed and having a good time during the week, you build confidence. We’ve said it before: Winning is contagious, and it’s a good trend to keep going.”

The significant improvement also coincided with the insertion of free safety Tyrone Culver into the lineup five weeks ago. Culver, who came off the bench Sunday with the return of Reshad Jones to the starting lineup, did his share of hitting, including a shot on Johnson to break up a pass over the middle that drew a penalty flag.

“I was just trying to make a play,” Culver said. “I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody. Just trying to be aggressive and the flag (a 15-yarder for a personal foul) came out.”

Culver wasn’t the only big hitter. Inside linebacker Kevin Burnett is also likely to be fined for a helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked the hat off Bills tight end Scott Chandler. Burnett and cornerback Vontae Davis teamed up to stuff C.J. Spiller on third-and-goal from the Miami 1. And Bell blasted wideout Naaman Roosevelt after a 12-yard reception in the third quarter.

“That’s what we want to do,” Bell said. “If you want to pass on the Dolphins, then we want to give you something to think about going over that middle or catching that football.”

As for running it, Miami held the Bills’ sixth-ranked running attack to 41 yards and 2.2 yards per carry.

“That was one of the keys we put on the board,” Culver said. “When they win, they rush the ball over 100 (yards), and when they lose, they’re under 100. You go out and make a running team pass the ball, you’re going to help yourself out.”

The defense also had a hand in the only significant score of the second half when safety Chris Clemons broke through and blocked a Brian Moorman punt midway through the third quarter. Running back Lex Hilliard fell on the loose ball in the end zone.

“They weren’t really blocking us,” Clemons said. “They were just sliding over. After a couple times I decided if they just took off again I was going after the ball.”

It was the Dolphins’ first blocked punt for a touchdown since Mark Higgs did it against New England in 1990.

Now the question becomes whether the defense can keep it going on Thanksgiving Day in Dallas and in the final six games overall.

“We’re going to keep pressing,” Dansby said. “We’ve got to do what we can do. And that’s try to win out.”

MIAMI —

The fiercest hits by Miami Dolphins defenders sent opposing helmets flying. The ball squirted loose a few times too, further evidence of the Buffalo Bills’ once-promising season slipping away.

The Dolphins set up two touchdowns with interceptions and mounted a goal-line stand as their improbable midseason surge gained momentum Sunday when they drubbed Buffalo 35-8. Matt Moore threw for three scores.

After losing their first seven games, the Dolphins (3-7) have three consecutive victories for the first time since 2008, winning by a combined score of 86-20. An improving defense has led the turnaround by keeping the opposition out of the end zone for three straight games.

“You can see how good we can be,” said safety Yeremiah Bell, who made an interception. “This is where we expected to be at the beginning of the season. It just took us awhile.”

Heading the other direction are the Bills (5-5), who have been outscored 106-26 while losing three in a row.

“We’re baffled as to what has happened,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “For the past three weeks, it has not been fun to play, and I’m sure it has not been fun to watch.”

To make matters worse for the injury-riddled Bills, NFL rushing leader Fred Jackson sat out much of the second half with a bruised right calf, and two players were carted off. Cornerback Terrence McGee hurt his left knee and will probably miss the rest of the season, coach Chan Gailey said, and receiver Donald Jones could miss three to six weeks with a left ankle injury.

The Dolphins, who came into the game tied for last in the league with four interceptions, twice picked off passes that deflected off receivers. Both turnovers led to touchdowns.

“I wouldn’t want to play against our defense,” Miami receiver Brandon Marshall said. “It seems like every time the ball was in the air, there was a big hit.”

Jared Odrick contributed a sack and reprised his celebratory Pee-wee Herman dance.

“A tremendous dance,” coach Tony Sparano said.

The fifth and final TD came on a blocked punt by Chris Clemons, which Lex Hilliard recovered on the goal line for a 35-6 lead. The score on a blocked punt was Miami’s first since 1990.

The goal-line stand came midway through the second half, when Miami stopped the Bills four times after they had a first down at the 2.

The Dolphins scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and led 21-3 after 18 minutes. Moore threw little after that and finished 14 for 20 for 160 yards, with a passer rating of 133.3.

“Guys around me are making big plays and making it easy for the quarterback,” Moore said. “It’s such a good feeling.”

Fitzpatrick, who has yet to win a game since signing a $59 million, six-year contract last month, was sacked twice and had a rating of 45.8. He has 12 turnovers in the past six games.

Jackson was held to 17 yards on seven carries. The Bills fumbled four times, and while they recovered them all, they went 0 for 14 on third- and fourth-down conversions – a rate of futility that left Gailey shaking his head.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been through that before, ever,” Gailey said. “When you’re that bad, you’re having a pitiful day.”

By the third quarter, the Bills’ ineptitude had become farcical. On one play, the wet ball slipped out of Fitzpatrick’s hand as he prepared to pass, so he caught it and tried again, throwing a short completion. Even hiking the ball was problematic for the Bills, with Fitzpatrick forced to reach for several errant snaps.

The past three weeks, the Bills have totaled two touchdowns, and one came during garbage time.

Buffalo took the opening kickoff and drove for a field goal, then went 25 minutes without a first down. Bad field position hurt the Bills, who started eight possessions inside their 20.

Miami mounted an 87-yard drive on its first possession, capped by Moore’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano. The Dolphins forced a punt, then struck again. Moore’s 46-yard pass to Charles Clay set up a 5-yard scoring run by Reggie Bush.

When Nolan Carroll intercepted a pass that slipped through the hands of Buffalo’s Brad Smith, Miami was in business again at the Bills 23. Moore then threw a 12-yard scoring pass to Clay for the rookie’s first career TD.

Late in the first half, Bell intercepted a pass that deflected off David Nelson and returned it to the Buffalo 4. Moore then hit Davone Bess with a 4-yard scoring pass for a 28-3 lead. The halftime point total was Miami’s largest since 2002.

“This is nice for the guys,” said Sparano, whose team was a league laughingstock not long ago. “They’re just worried about doing their job and trying to prove people wrong. They make me smile a little bit. I don’t know that I want to show that, though. They’ll think I’m getting soft.”

Notes: The Dolphins are the third NFL team to win three consecutive games at any point after starting a season 0-7. … A streak of 735 punts without a block by Buffalo’s Brian Moorman ended. It was the third-longest such streak in NFL history. … The Bills’ Dave Rayner kicked a career-long 56-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

MIAMI GARDENS—

The Miami Dolphins maintain they have had fun throughout this season.

When they were in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, the mood was always jovial. Nothing has changed since, except there’s now actually reason to smile. The Dolphins defeated the Buffalo Bills 35-8 at Sun Life Stadium Sunday in front of an announced crowd of 57,531. They have now won three straight since the awful start to the season.

“We keep a smile on our face, we never let anything get us down,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “We’re on a mission to try to be the best. That’s what we want, we want to be the best. We want to rewrite our own script. Everybody was trying to write us off, but we’re trying to rewrite it.”

The Dolphins (3-7) have a long way before they even reach respectability, but at least they finally have reason to poke out their chests. The defense continued its solid play throughout this stretch, extending the streak without allowing a touchdown to 12 quarters.

The Bills, once considered the surprise of the league after starting 4-1, looked like the early version of the Dolphins. After a strong opening drive that resulted in a 30-yard field goal by Dan Rayner, Buffalo (5-5) was unable to crack the Dolphins’ defense the remainder.

The streak without giving up a touchdown nearly ended when Buffalo had 1st-and-goal at 2 in the fourth quarter. The Bills failed to get in the end zone on four plays, with the highlight being linebacker Kevin Burnett delivering a big hit on running back C.J. Spiller at the goaline.

“We want to keep them out of the end zone,” said defensive end Jared Odrick, who had one sack. “I think it’s a compliment to the players who are playing and the coaches who are preparing us.”

The Dolphins held Bills running back Fred Jackson, the league’s top rusher, to 17 yards on seven carries before he left the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. Miami also appears to be over their turnover drought. They were among the league’s worst in interceptions a few weeks ago, but picked off two passes for the second straight game.

Cornerback Nolan Carroll intercepted Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in the second quarter. The play set up a 12-yard touchdown pass from Matt Moore to tight end Charles Clay to give the Dolphins a 21-3 lead with 12:45 left in the first half.

Fitzpatrick was later intercepted by safety Yeremiah Bell, who returned it to 20 yards to the Buffalo 4. The Dolphins turned that turnover into a four-yard touchdown pass from Moore to Davone Bess.

“It’s huge,” coach Tony Sparano said. “Obviously, you get a chance to work with a short field … I thought today the interceptions that were made were all big-time plays.”

Lost in the defensive effort was special teams play and an efficient performance from Moore at quarterback.

Miami took a 35-6 lead when Chris Clemons blocked a punt in the third quarter. The ball was recovered by Lex Hilliard in the end zone.

That came long after Moore led the Dolphins to a comfortable lead. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Moore, making his sixth start since replacing the injured Chad Henne, finished with a quarterback rating of 133.3.

“He’s always a cool and collected guy so I think he’s always been kind of comfortable,” said tight end Anthony Fasano, who caught a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter. “Getting on the same page and in-sync with the rest of the guys comes with reps. The more reps he gets, the more comfortable he’s becoming.”