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ORCHARD PARK, New York (Ticker) -- Jay Fiedler threw for just 46 yards, but a dominant defensive performance and the running of Ricky Williams was all the Miami Dolphins needed to stay in the playoff race for a few hours.

Nickel back Terrell Buckley returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown and the Dolphins forced four turnovers and sacked Drew Bledsoe six times in a 20-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills .

However, the Dolphins (9-6) were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday night when the Denver Broncos (10-5) sealed the final AFC wild card berth with a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts .

Defensive end Jason Taylor led the pass rush with 2 1/2 sacks and became the Dolphins' all-time sack leader with 69 1/2, surpassing the mark of 67 1/2 by Bill Stanfill.

"There was a lot at stake," Taylor said. "It's a game we had to win and we came out and performed pretty well."

Miami and the Bills managed just 11 first downs apiece and combined for 346 yards. But the Dolphins had an effective running game with Ricky Williams gaining 111 yards on 29 carries while Buffalo's Travis Henry managed just 67 yards on 24 carries.

Half of Fiedler's passing total came on a 23-yard touchdown to Chris Chambers 3:37 into the game.

"I think we did what we had to do," said Fiedler, who was 8-of-17 for 46 yards with an interception in the cold and windy conditions. "We got some points early and rode our defense."

Olindo Mare kicked field goals of 28 and 30 yards in the first half following turnovers. The first came after Arturo Freeman recovered a fumble by Nate Clements at the Buffalo 24 and the second after linebacker Zach Thomas scooped up a fumble by quarterback Drew Bledsoe at the Buffalo 33.

The Bills had only two first downs and 11 total yards in the first half. Bledsoe finished 12-of-24 for 114 yards.

"The fans sell out here every game and we came out and stunk it up," said Bills receiver Eric Moulds . "It's going to be something for us to remember in the offseason."

Fiedler gave Buffalo (6-9) a chance to score when he fumbled at his own 38 on Miami's first possession of the second half and Bills defensive tackle Sam Adams recovered. But after a 31-yard pass from Bledsoe to tight end Mark Campbell , the Bill stalled at the Miami 6 and settled for a 24-yard field goal by Rian Lindell 2:58 into the third quarter.

The Dolphins went three-and-out on their next possession and the Bulls took over at the Miami 33 following a 15-yard penalty on Jimmy Wyrick for unnecessary roughness. Three plays later, Buckley stepped in front of a pass intended for Bobby Shaw and raced up the left sideline for his sixth career touchdown with 7:45 left in the third.

Known for late-season collapses, Miami snapped a six-game road losing streak after December.

"I told the players with all the distractions from the media telling us we couldn't win these kind of games, we did a remarkable job," said Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt. "We could have doubted ourselves, but we came out of here with a big win."