EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- A week of rest did the New York Jets a lot of good.
Vinny Testaverde threw three touchdown passes and the Jets' defense shut down the shorthanded offense of the Buffalo Bills en route to a 30-3 victory - their first of the season.
New York (1-4) was dismal in losing its first four games as it adjusted to life without quarterback Chad Pennington, who dislocated his left wrist in the preseason. After a week off, the Jets looked like a different team, dominating both sides of the ball.
"The monkey is definitely off our backs right now," New York center Kevin Mawae said. "We had two good weeks of practice and our goals were to come out and take every opportunity that we got to score some points and we did that."
"They did a great job during the bye week," Jets coach Herman Edwards said. "It's good to get a win. That was important. We've still got a long way to go, the last four weeks have been a great ordeal."
Testaverde completed 11-of-17 passes for 130 yards. He moved past Hall of Famer Joe Montana into seventh place all time with 40,649 yards.
The 39-year-old quarterback gave the Jets the lead for good at 7-3 with a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Anthony Becht early in the second quarter. He connected with Becht and Santana Moss on touchdowns in the third quarter as New York pulled away.
"It's fun when you're able to perform like that," Testaverde said. "The defense lifted up everybody's attitude. It certainly helped us. It gave us a chance to regroup and get started."
The Jets defense was overpowering despite playing without Pro Bowl defensive end John Abraham, who was made inactive by Edwards for pleading to a DWI charge this past week.
"It was a decision that John understands," Edwards said. "Losing John was tough, the guys rallied around."
"We knew something was going to happen, we weren't shocked," New York defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "We were prepared for it."
New York sacked Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe a season-high seven times and forced four turnovers, including two interceptions. Jason Ferguson and Ellis had two sacks apiece for the Jets, who were one of just two winless teams in the league.
"I tried to pick up the slack and tried to make plays," Ellis said. "Overall, it was a team effort."
Idle San Diego (0-5) is now the NFL's lone remaining winless team.
Bledsoe was 24-of-40 for 202 yards and an interception as the Bills (3-3) played without Pro Bowl receiver Eric Moulds, who sat out with a groin injury.
"Offensively, we just didn't make the big plays to put points on the board," Bledsoe said. "We didn't step up and make the big plays in order to win games like this."
New York entered the game with the league's worst rushing defense but allowed just 53 yards against Buffalo. Travis Henry, who ran for 345 yards in his first three games against the Jets, was limited to just 53 on 18 carries.
"We didn't play well enough in any area," Buffalo coach Gregg Williams said. "(The Jets) were inspired and they outplayed in every phase of the game."
"You can't just look at a team's record," Bills wide receiver Bobby Shaw said. "Every team on the schedule is a tough opponent. We did not expect them to lay down because the were 0-4."
The Jets also got their inept running game on track with 118 yards, including 77 by Curtis Martin, as they defeated the Bills for the eighth time in 11 meetings.
New York's defense stopped Buffalo on 4th-and-1 with 80 seconds left in the first quarter. Its offense responded with its first scoring drive, going 66 yards in nine plays before Testaverde connected with Becht on a play-action pass just 3:24 into the second.
It was the Jets' first touchdown since the fourth quarter of their loss to the New England Patriots on September 21.
Bledsoe fumbled a shotgun snap on the next drive and it was recovered by Jets defensive end Bryan Thomas. Doug Brien kicked a 27-yard field goal five plays later and added a 33-yarder in the final minute for a 13-3 halftime edge.
Testaverde followed a 47-yard punt return by Moss with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Becht just 1:51 into the third quarter. He was 6-of-6 for 64 yards in the third, capped by a four-yard TD to Moss with 29 seconds to go.
