EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It started after the last game, when Matt Forte openly questioned offensive coordinator John Morton's playcalling. Forte did the talking, but many of his teammates felt the same way he did: To be successful, they needed more running, less passing.
The next day, the players expressed their concerns to Morton, a first-time coordinator with a passing background. On Thursday night, you saw the result of that meeting.
The New York Jets ran on their first three plays and they kept running until the numbers stopped at 41 carries for 194 yards and three touchdowns. The offensive line was challenged during the week, and it set the tone in their 34-21 victory over the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium.
"Kudos to coach Johnny Mo for sticking with the run like he promised he would do," said Forte, who rushed for a team-high 77 yards and his first two touchdowns of the season.
Give credit to Forte for starting the movement. He's the soft-spoken sage of the Jets' locker room, and his opinions matter because of his stature in the league. He did the E.F. Hutton thing after Sunday's rain-soaked loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and it got the attention of his coach.
"It's special that we were able to voice some concerns and actually come out and execute what we voiced," said left tackle Kelvin Beachum, another team leader.
Beachum, too, credited Morton for adapting. Frankly, the run-heavy approach was a surprise because the Bills began the night ranked third against the run and 29th against the pass. Beachum said they don't pay attention to rankings; they just do their thing. He described the Monday conversation as a meeting of the minds.
"Collectively, the entire building understood what we needed to do," Beachum said. "We've got a 38-year-old quarterback and we can't have him taking hits if we want him to maintain his play throughout the year. Now it's starting to get cold, and in cold-weather games you have to be able to run the ball and run it effectively."
The Jets certainly did against the Bills. Coming off a four-carry game, Forte was fresh and frisky. Bilal Powell ran nine times for 74 yards, including a 51-yarder in which he broke at least three tackles. Josh McCown -- the aforementioned 38-year-old quarterback -- got into the action, scoring on a 10-yard run.
"Thankfully, this is when your bio comes in handy," McCown joked. "Maybe all of them read that I was 38 years old."
McCown attempted only 20 passes and threw only one touchdown, snapping his streak of four straight games with at least two touchdown passes. He didn't care. This was all about the win; a fourth straight loss would have crippled their season.
He, too, credited Morton for "the diligence to keep running it and keep calling it. I go back to the first series. Even though it was a three-and-out, [he had] the patience to say, 'I'm going to call three runs, I'm going to hold to it.' "
Like most defense-minded coaches, Todd Bowles says he believes in a strong running game. He probably got in Morton's ear, too, which is his job as the head coach. Hey, it worked. The Jets discovered a blueprint that can help them over the second half of the season.
"It showed the character of the guys on the team," said Forte, who wasn't taking any bows. "We had some difficulties and some frustrations on a short week. We addressed them on Monday and we came out on Thursday and ran the ball like we did."