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BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- The New York Jets came into tonight's contest with a huge question mark at quarterback. The Buffalo Bills' defense did not help matters. Behind their best defensive effort in nearly seven years and a career-high 67 rushing yards by quarterback Doug Flutie, the Bills posted a 17-3 triumph over the injury-ravaged Jets. The Bills, who were hammered by the Indianapolis Colts, 31-14, in their opener last week, rebounded to hold New York to just 190 yards. The three points were the fewest surrendered by Buffalo's defense since a 38-0 shutout of the Indianapolis Colts on September 20, 1992. With All-Pro quarterback Vinny Testaverde out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Jets began life with Rick Mirer at the helm. Mirer struggled directing the offense, completing 13-of-28 passes for 121 yards. While Mirer has been given repeated chances to succeed, it was the play of Flutie, an NFL castoff, that made the difference. The diminutive signal-caller scrambled away from danger all game, even scoring on a 24-yard jaunt early in the third quarter. "They beat us pretty good tonight," Jets coach Bill Parcells said. "We didn't do a good job defensing the run. We started off all right but they eventually wore us down. We let Flutie improvise just enough to get a good touchdown drive." Flutie, who improved to 12-1 as a starter at home, was 15-for-25 for 160 yards. Antowain Smith recorded his fifth career 100-yard rushing game, carrying 30 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. Overall, the Bills ran for 224 yards. "When we run the ball well it opens the whole other aspect of our game," Flutie said. "By running the ball well it creates an attitude and tempo. Our offensive line wanted to show the media that we can run the ball." "It helped me get into the groove running the ball," Smith said of his 30 carries. "I was trying to attack the defense, running north and south instead of east and west. I thought that had a lot to do with my success tonight." New York was a woeful 2-of-13 on third- and fourth-down conversion attempts while Buffalo was 9-of-15. "It came down to third down and doing a good job against Flutie on the scramble," Jets linebacker Bryan Cox said. "He was able to get loose, keep drives going. They did a good job on third down and we didn't, in essence that was the game." "The main thing is we didn't give up any big plays," Bills linebacker Sam Cowart said. "Playing well on third down was the key. ... We did good against the run, containing Curtis Martin and trying to make Mirer beat us." Despite getting swept by the Jets last season, the Bills have won 18 of the last 23 meetings. Buffalo missed a chance to take the early lead when Steve Christie was wide left on two field goals. The Bills' defense then set the tone for the entire contest by stopping Jerald Sowell on 4th-and-goal from the 1. Flutie capitalized on the momentum swing by putting together a masterful 12-play, 99-yard drive. He found Eric Moulds for 11 yards for one key first down and scrambled twice for a total of 38 yards. Smith punctuated the possession with a one-yard dive with 39 seconds left in the half. "That was the turning point in the game," Bills coach Wade Phillips said. "We missed a couple of field goals which is highly unusual for Christie. The fourth-down play was a really big play for us. Then for us to take it all the way down the field really changed the game." After the Jets went three-and-out on the first possession of the second half, Flutie took over and directed an eight-play, 57-yard drive that extended the lead to 14-0. Flutie kept the march going with a third-down pass to Kevin Williams before scrambling all over the field on his 24-yard scoring run. The Jets finally answered when John Hall capped a 59-yard drive with a 31-yard field goal. New York had 1st-and-10 from the Bills 11 but Mirer threw a short completion, was sacked and fired over the head of receiver Dwight Stone in the end zone. "I can't really assess it properly," Parcells said of Mirer's effectiveness. "I don't think we got him in a position to really get going. I don't think he did anything to really cost us. I don't think he cost us with any bad decisions." Leading 14-3, the Bills put the contest away late in the fourth quarter when Flutie and second-year fullback Jonathan Linton combined to torture the Jets on a 15-play possession. Flutie was 3-for-3 during the drive while Linton carried four times for 30 yards. Christie's 35-yard field goal extended the lead to 14 and dropped the Jets to 0-2 for the second time in two seasons. While the Jets rebounded to reach the AFC championship game last season, this year should prove to be very different. The team already is without Testaverde and versatile running back Leon Johnson. Star receiver Keyshawn Johnson was banged up and the wideouts caught just four passes. New York's two losses have come to divisional opponents. Last season they went 7-1 in the AFC East.
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