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When the Buffalo Bills come to Toronto to take on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, they'll be playing for more than just the chance to even their season series with the Dolphins.

They'll be playing to keep their NFL playoff hopes alive.

Buffalo's once-promising campaign took another huge blow yesterday afternoon when the Bills dropped their second consecutive game at home to a team with a losing record, falling to the San Francisco 49ers 10-3 in a game played in a constant drizzle.

The disappointing performance before 70,988 should erase any sense the Bills are giving up any advantage against the Dolphins by moving out of the elements into the indoor comfort of the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

"It can't hurt us," defensive end Chris Kelsay said. "We aren't winning here."

Buffalo now sits alone in last place in the AFC East with a 6-6 record, one game behind Miami and the New England Patriots and two behind the New York Jets.

What remains of Buffalo's playoff hopes rests on being able to run the table by winning its final four games against Miami, the New York Jets, New England and the Denver Broncos.

"We have no room for error," Buffalo receiver Lee Evans said. "You can still get in with 10 wins, but you have no room for error. This is our playoffs."

The question is whether the Bills will enter their "playoffs" with or without starting quarterback Trent Edwards, who was injured early in yesterday's game and pulled at halftime with a groin injury.

"As of right now, I have no idea," Edwards said of his chances of playing against the Dolphins.

Backup J.P. Losman came on and led several long drives, mostly along the ground. But when Buffalo got the ball at its own 19 with 1 minute 47 seconds to play, Losman fired four incomplete passes to end Buffalo's hopes.

Yesterday's three-point output was a stark contrast to the 54 points Buffalo hung on the Kansas City Chiefs a week earlier, highlighting the inconsistency that has plagued the Bills throughout this season.

Though the 49ers feature the same kind of 3-4 defence that had stymied Buffalo in four of their five losses headed into yesterday's game, San Francisco had given up at least 28 points to eight of its past 10 opponents.

The 49ers became the first West Coast team to win a game in the Eastern time zone this season, snapping an 0-16 run.

Buffalo actually moved the ball more efficiently than San Francisco, raking up 350 yards to the 49ers' 190. The Bills just couldn't get into the end zone, making four red-zone visits, but coming away with just three points.

Two of those visits ended in missed field goals, while another ended with a turnover on downs.

"The story of the game was the red zone," head coach Dick Jauron said. "We didn't convert. If we had, we'd have given ourselves a real good chance to win the football game."

The Bills had some peculiar play calling inside the red zone, seeming to shy away from the running game the closer they got to the goal posts.

For instance, facing second-and-goal from the 2 during the second quarter, Buffalo went with two unsuccessful passing plays before Rian Lindell came on to boot a 20-yard field-goal attempt that hit the left upright.

In the second half, of 10 offensive plays scrimmaged inside the San Francisco 20, just two went to running back Marshawn Lynch, who had 134 yards on the day from just 16 carries.

"It's hard to imagine being that bad down there," Evans said. "It's hard to put your finger on one thing, but when you get down there, you got to have a certain attitude. You let your linemen be your linemen and let Marshawn do his thing. We didn't have a whole lot of balance down there."

Yesterday was another disappointing day for the Bills' first two picks from April's draft, cornerback Leodis McKelvin and receiver James Hardy.

McKelvin, starting at corner for injured Jabari Greer, was beaten easily by Isaac Bruce on the game's only touchdown and was also called for interference. Hardy, who arrived with the billing of being especially proficient in the red zone, couldn't help the Bills when they need him most and was called for holding on one play.

Having lost five of their past six games and facing three consecutive tough divisional opponents, the Bills would seem to have little hope on the horizon. Right now, having to travel north for their next home game seems the least of their problems.

"Hopefully, we get the support we need from north of the border," Kelsay said. "I know our fans are upset about it and have been since it was announced. But we have to concentrate on what we have to do in the football game."