No Doubting Bills’ Thomas in 30-7 Victory : Pro football: He gains 214 yards rushing--and averages nearly 12 yards per carry--in romp past Jets.

The Buffalo Bills’ Thurman Thomas, running through the kinds of holes tailbacks usually only dream of, rushed for 214 yards Monday night in a 30-7 victory over the New York Jets.

Thomas’ best rushing total as a pro compares to the NFL record of 275 yards by Walter Payton in 1977 and the Bill mark of 273 by O.J. Simpson in 1976. Thomas averaged nearly 12 yards per carry.

“I don’t think of it as an individual effort,” Thomas said. “It truly was team play. The offense came out with fire in their eyes, and they just knocked huge holes in the defense.”

Thomas had several big games as an All-American at Oklahoma State, where he preceded Barry Sanders as the star running back. This was different.

“I never thought in the NFL I would be 20 yards downfield without ever being touched, just me and a safety,” he said.

Said Bill tackle Howard Ballard: “We didn’t really expect it to be that easy. We just blew them out.”

The Bills (2-1) wanted to show they are not the same bickering outfit that struggled to win the AFC East championship last year. The Jets (1-2) sought to show they are a playoff contender.

It was the Bills who were convincing in moving back into first place in the AFC East, where they stood for 33 weeks before a 30-7 loss at Miami last week. After that game, star defensive end Bruce Smith was fined for shouting at Coach Marv Levy on the sidelines when Levy removed six starters with seven minutes to play.

Said Jet Coach Bruce Coslet: “No team should really be allowed to manhandle us like that. They dominated the line of scrimmage. We have to play very well to have a chance against a playoff team like Buffalo.”

Was it a step backward for the Jets?

“Probably,” Coslet said. “But I’m not concerned about the psyche. This is not last year’s team. We have a lot of confidence. We stubbed our toe.”

The Bills took a 20-7 halftime lead after Thomas ran for 146 yards in 10 carries, two yards short of his career high for a full game, against Miami last season. Buffalo had 305 yards and the Jets 87 in the half.

“We established just what we wanted to do in the first half,” Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly said. “We took it from there.”

It didn’t get any better for New York in the second half. Thomas keyed an 85-yard, nine-play drive with 56 yards rushing, including a 34-yard burst on a quick-opener. Scott Norwood’s 27-yard field goal made the score 23-7 and Keith McKeller caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Kelly.

The Jets had gone 13 consecutive quarters without a touchdown against Buffalo before scoring 4:59 into the game on Brad Baxter’s one-yard run. Their last touchdown against the Bills was scored Oct. 17, 1988.

Jet wide receiver Al Toon had two receptions before being sidelined because of a bruised back. He has caught a pass in 65 consecutive games.