Santonio Holmes catches two passes in return to action

So, Santonio Holmes, how did you feel after your first game action since injuring your right hamstring in Week 4?

"I felt good enough to get out there and help my team try to win a ballgame," he said Sunday after catching two passes for 71 yards.

It wasn't nearly enough to help the Jets avoid a 37-14 loss to the Bills, and it wasn't enough to judge for sure how Holmes might be able to help down the stretch.

Pressed on how close he is to 100-percent healthy, he said only, "I went out and did what I was supposed to do today, which is make plays and help this team try to win a ballgame."

But is he confident he will continue to improve physically week to week? "It's the first time I've had a hamstring injury, and I can only move forward after today," he said.

Midway through the first quarter, Holmes adjusted to a long pass from Geno Smith that was knocked short by the wind and caught the ball for a 33-yard gain.

"The quarterback gave me an opportunity to make a play, and that's what we're always preaching in film room and in practice: Just give our guys a chance to make a play," Holmes said. "That's what he did. The DB lost the ball and I did a good job of tracking it down."

Smith found Holmes for 38 yards to the 5 early in the second half to set up the Jets' first touchdown, but that was about it, other than what appeared to be a nice diving catch by Holmes that was ruled a trap on replay review.

Holmes was targeted eight times, according to the official statistics sheet.

"I caught just about every ball that was thrown to me," he said.

Asked about the impact of the Bills' consistent pass rush on Smith's ability to find receivers, Holmes said: "We'll let the coaches deal with that. My job is to run downfield and get open and try to catch as many balls as I can."

When the Jets beat the Bills in Week 3, Holmes had 154 receiving yards. That's the sort of contribution they likely will need more of in the final six games, hamstring permitting.