First quarter

•  Impact player: Even though special teams ruled the quarter, Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick kept Miami’s offense off the field (which might have been a good thing for the Dolphins) by completing 5 of 8 passes for 79 yards.

•  Highlights: Just when it looked like Buffalo was going to blow out the Dolphins, punt returner Marcus Thigpen took a kickoff at the 4 and sprinted toward the end zone. It was Thigpen’s first touchdown off a kickoff since his Canadian Football League days with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2010.

•  Lowlights: Miami’s offense went three-and-out twice during the opening quarter, not counting Brian Hartline’s fumble on first down of the third possession. On Miami’s first punt, Leodis McKelvin returned Brandon Field’s kick 79 yards for the Bills’ first points of the game, just 90 seconds in.

Second quarter

•  Impact player: Running back C.J. Spiller seemed to do something every time he touched the ball, from picking up 13 yards on a short pass to skipping through the Dolphins secondary down into the red zone on a 20-yard scamper late in the second quarter.

•  Highlights: Running back Reggie Bush had Miami’s biggest offensive gain of the game to that point (in which the Dolphins didn’t fumble the ball away) when he caught a swing pass and went 14 yards at 8:45. Slim pickings, eh? Indeed.

•  Lowlights: The Miami defense had its moments in the quarter but couldn’t get Fitzpatrick and the rest of Buffalo’s offense off the field. With 4:42 left in the quarter, Dolphins defensive back Nolan Carroll was called for illegal contact, his third penalty of the quarter. Buffalo kicked a pair of field goals to take a 19-7 lead into the half.

Third quarter

•  Impact player: The Dolphins didn’t do much offensively in the quarter, but at least they moved into semi-scoring position as quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a nice pass to Hartline (who drew a penalty on a third down).

•  Highlights: Thursday’s third quarter marked yet another in which the Dolphins failed to find the end zone, or even put up a handful of points. The big news came when Miami finally made it into Buffalo territory with 3:53 left in the third when Daniel Thomas ran 5 yards to the 45.

•  Lowlights: Miami had a chance to cut Buffalo’s lead to nine points late in the third quarter but Dan Carpenter’s 50-yard field-goal attempt glanced off the right upright. Carpenter probably should have been a touch closer, but Marlon Moore failed to get open on third down, and Tannehill couldn’t thread that needle.

Fourth quarter

•  Impact player: Davone Bess made three big catches on Miami’s initial drive of the fourth quarter, including an acrobatic grab of a Tannehill pass that gave the Dolphins a first-and-goal. Bess was Tannehill’s target on a 2-yard touchdown pass, one initially ruled incomplete.

Highlights: The Bills are one of the worst teams in the NFL when it comes to stopping teams in the red zone, and the Dolphins cashed in. Buffalo kept a drive going when Kyle Moore’s sack was wiped out after he grabbed Tannehill’s face mask. Miami only got inside the 20 once all game.

•  Lowlights: Miami had two possessions in the final few minutes of the game only to see Tannehill get picked off. The first came just after the two minute warning when Jairus Bryd moved in on a pass intended for Bess and took it for his own. Bryan Scott then ended it with a theft with 41 seconds left.