Miami at Denver


Fish foil Flutie in fantastic finish


Dolphins swimming upstream


Bills, Dolphins put 'wild' in wild card

DAVIE, Fla. -- Already dealing with the absence of injured defensive end Jason Taylor, the Miami Dolphins learned Sunday they will be without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tim Bowens for the rest of the playoffs.

	Tim Bowens Defensive Tackle Miami Dolphins Profile
	1998 SEASON STATISTICS TKLS SOLO ASST SACKS INTS 30 25 0 0 0 1998 Regular Season

Bowens underwent surgery Sunday morning to repair a tear of his right biceps tendon. He sustained the injury in the third quarter of Miami's 24-17 victory over Buffalo in the AFC wild-card round Saturday.

"Fortunately, we have depth on our defensive line, but we have lost two of our better players," Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson said.

Although Miami's defense allowed the fewest points in the NFL, Bowens was its only member named to the Pro Bowl. He started all 16 regular-season games and had 44 tackles as the Dolphins' top lineman against the run.

Miami likely will use Shane Burton and Barron Tanner to replace Bowens. Against Buffalo, Burton started at end in place of Taylor, who was placed on injured reserve last week with a broken collarbone.

"We'll have to make a decision on what we have to do with Shane Burton," Johnson said. "He gives us flexibility in both spots (end and tackle). Barron Tanner figures big in the plans, too. If we move Burton inside, then we'll get Danny Stubbs back into the picture at end."

Burton recovered the fumble by Doug Flutie at the Miami 3 in the final seconds, preserving the win as the Dolphins moved into the divisional playoffs next weekend against either the Denver Broncos or New York Jets.

Bowens, a 1994 first-round pick, has started 78 consecutive regular-season games. He was signed to a five-year contract worth close to $25 million prior to this season.

In four seasons, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Bowens has 304 tackles, 13 sacks and nine forced fumbles.