(My Sportsbook) - Zach Thomas was all over the field on Sunday, but his sterling 21-tackle effort went for naught in Miami's 21-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Not only was it Miami's second loss in three games, but it also finished the team's faint playoff hopes. The Dolphins were officially eliminated from postseason contention.

But Thomas could not be faulted. In addition to his 11 solo tackles and 10 assists, he also forced a pair of fumbles. The 21 stops tied his second-best total in the regular season.

"Zach made a lot of plays [Sunday]," said Dolphins head coach Nick Saban on Monday. "He really played extremely well in the game, probably one of his best games of the year actually, and he's played really well and consistently all year long, but [Sunday] he was all over the place."

For Thomas, though, the numbers rang hollow.

"We gave up big plays and we were on the field too long," Thomas said Sunday. "You can't have that. We've got to get off the field on defense."

The Bills were 6-for-15 on third down and two of their touchdowns came on third down -- a 27-yard scoring pass on 3rd-and-8 and a 21-yard TD connection on 3rd-and-6. The other came on 2nd-and-16.

"We were close but we can't have those breakdowns," Thomas remarked. "We had a breakdown in coverage and that's what we haven't done. That's why we've won."

Defensive end Jason Taylor agreed.

"It was three big plays," Taylor said. "We dropped the coverage on one and didn't get enough pressure on the other ones. It's my fault. We've got to do better. We've got to do more."

Taylor doesn't have to apologize. He has been doing more than his share and had a solid game on Sunday with five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.

Both Thomas and Taylor were named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad on Tuesday, the only Dolphins who were so named.

HARRINGTON MIRRORS BLUTO

It's a number Dean Wormer could appreciate: 0.0. That was Joey Harrington's passer rating on Sunday at Buffalo, matching the grade point average of the infamous character Bluto in the 1970s classic movie "Animal House."

The formula that goes into figuring out a quarterback's passer rating is convoluted at best, but the actual numbers were dismal: 5-of-17 for 20 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns on a wet and blustery day in Orchard Park.

"Joey didn't have one of his best days [Sunday]," Dolphins head coach Nick Saban said after the game. "It was tough for him with the conditions out there."

Harrington was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Cleo Lemon with the team down 21-0, and for good reason. He was 4-for-9 for 16 yards after one half and Miami trailing 7-0, but his two interceptions led to both of Buffalo's second-half touchdowns.

"I wasn't playing well. Let's not pretend like it was a huge shock," said Harrington afterward. "We were down by 21-0, I wasn't playing well and [Saban] said he was going to give Cleo a chance to see what he could do."

Lemon, in three possessions, was 9-of-16 for 98 yards. He nearly led the team to a touchdown in the closing seconds, but his pass from the Buffalo one on the final play of the game fell incomplete.

There is no quarterback controversy, however, as Saban said Sunday and reiterated Monday that Harrington will remain the starter.

NEWS & NOTES

-Chris Chambers did not have a catch Sunday and had a string of 60 straight games with at least one reception snapped. The last time he was held without a catch was December 29, 2002 against New England.

-Taylor has 12 1/2 sacks on the season, and his career total of 105 surpassed Neil Smith for 18th on the NFL's all-time list.

-The Dolphins were blanked by the Bills for just the third time overall and for only the second time in Buffalo. The last was a 27-0 setback on November 29, 1987.

-It was just the 17th time the Dolphins have been shut out in franchise history, and it marked the first time the club has been blanked the week after posting a shutout.

-Dolphins tight ends coach Derek Dooley has been named the new head coach at Louisiana Tech.

BUMPS & BRUISES

Running back Ronnie Brown missed his third straight game this past Sunday because of the broken bone in his hand that he suffered against Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. He could return to the lineup this week, as doctors have cleared him to begin practicing.

With Miami out of the playoff mix, Brown should sit the rest of the season to fully heal.

Wide receiver Marty Booker suffered an ankle injury against Buffalo, and could miss the final two games.

UP NEXT

Throw out the records when these two teams meet, as the Dolphins have a Christmas night matchup with the New York Jets. New York is battling for a playoff spot, as an 8-6 record has the Jets tied with Cincinnati, Denver and Jacksonville for the two AFC wild card spots.

The Jets posted a 20-17 victory over the Dolphins in the first meeting of the season on October 15 at the Meadowlands. Miami made a remarkable comeback from a 20-3 deficit in the fourth quarter, but Olindo Mare's 51-yard field goal try in the final minute was wide right.

New York leads the all-time series, 42-39-1, which includes four wins in the last five meetings. The Jets will try for a sweep of the season series for the second time in three years. The Dolphins won last year's meeting in Miami, 24-20 on December 18.

This will be Miami's third game on Christmas Day. The first was a memorable 27-24 double-overtime victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a 1971 playoff game, and the other was a 27-20 triumph over Detroit in 1994.