ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Matt Forte emerged from the winner's locker room wearing a hunter green suit and glistening, gold, alligator-skin shoes.
The flashy outfit belied his workmanlike performance for the New York Jets in a 37-31 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Thursday.
Forte rushed 30 times for 100 yards and three touchdowns. His first two scoring runs gave the Jets the lead after big plays by the Bills. His last touchdown essentially sealed the victory. His final three carries killed a minute of clock and forced the Bills to use their final timeouts.
"He's a workhorse," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "He had 30 carries for 100 yards, but he was getting a tough grind even when it looked like he wasn't getting anything."
Forte, 31, signed with the Jets in free agency after eight seasons in Chicago during which he averaged 1,590 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns.
"He's a heck of a runner," Jets center Nick Mangold said. "That's what he's been doing his whole career. We're glad to have him on our team."
This was Forte's first 100-yard rushing day since he had 141 in last year's opener for the Chicago Bears. His 30 carries were a career high. He said he felt good with a heavy workload, despite the short week.
"Even though it's a Thursday night game, I get a couple extra days of rest now," he said. "I'm just happy the Thursday night game was early this season."
In last week's loss at Cincinnati, Forte rushed for 96 yards on 22 carries and caught five passes for 24 yards. He had two receptions for 9 yards against the Bills. That is 59 touches in two games, putting him on pace for 472 for the season.
"I don't care. I'm just going out there to play," Forte said. "As long as we keep winning, I don't care if I have a thousand touches."
The Jets got a scare in the second quarter when Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall went down with what appeared to be a serious injury.
After making a 15-yard reception, Marshall was brought down by Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who grabbed Marshall's facemask and spun him to the turf, twisting Marshall's left knee in the process.
Marshall lay on the ground for several minutes, fearing the worst.
"I thought I was done," Marshall said after the game. "I thought I was going to be finishing in my backyard in Florida."
Marshall was able to walk to the sideline with assistance from trainers, then walked to the locker room for evaluation under his own power. He returned to the field on the Jets' next series.
"Brandon is one of the tougher guys you'll ever see," quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. "They were looking at his knee, and I didn't think it was good. To see him on the ground in pain, I knew something was wrong. But then, when he stepped back in the huddle later on, it was a big surprise, but relief as well."
Marshall said he was initially upset that he got hurt on an illegal play.
"But it's part of the game," he added. "One thing that I was proud of, Gilmore, we had a chance to talk and he apologized. That's a stand-up guy."
The Bills honored Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith, the NFL's all-time sack leader, at halftime by retiring his No. 78 jersey.
Smith, the No. 1 pick in the 1985 draft, played 15 seasons in Buffalo, recording 171 of his record 200 sacks and helping the Bills go to four consecutive Super Bowls in the 1990s. He was a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
After being introduced by ESPN's Chris Berman, Smith received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd at New Era Field. As he stepped to the podium, Smith wiped a tear from his eye.
"It feels so good to be home," Smith said. "There are no words that I can utter here tonight that will adequately convey just how overjoyed, overwhelmed, and honored I am to have my jersey retired from this storied Buffalo Bills organization."
Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's No. 12 is the only other jersey the Bills have retired.
