Of all the encouraging signs in the Jets' regular-season opener last Sunday, albeit in a loss, few were more positive than the strong play all along the offensive line.

From left to right -- second-year Olu Fashanu to rookie Armand Membou -- to the three veterans at the core -- John Simpson, Josh Myers and Joe Tippmann -- the O-line protected QB Justin Fields and led a rushing attack that amassed 182 yards. It was a strong performance the Green & White will need to duplicate in Week 2 against the visiting Buffalo Bills.

"It's cool, but [now] we got to rush for more," Simpson said with a laugh on Wednesday. "Man, stacking off those things that we did last week and trying to get better one day at a time."

Membou, the Jets' top selection (No. 7 overall) in this year's NFL Draft, in his first game in the NFL faced a daunting challenge in trying to handle the Steelers' T.J. Watt and others. And Membou excelled, earning a grade of 89.0 from Pro Football Focus, ranking the rookie first among OTs leaguewide in Week 1. He did not allow a pressure and his run block grade (90.3) was second among all tackles.

"I told him right before we walked out, I was like 'bro, you are a dog,' " Simpson said, speaking about Membou. "You are here for a reason."

Membou and Fashanu, the tackle tasked with protecting Fields' blindside and opening holes that last week contributed to the Jets' 182 yards on the ground, could provide the organization with bookend tackles for years to come. Fashanu, in his sophomore season in the NFL after playing in college at Penn State, plays next to Simpson.

"Same, same expectation," Simpson said. "Those dudes are hungry. They've got this willingness to work. And even when they're challenged, they just keep going and going. And that's really all you can ask. He's got that mentality, I feel, but even more now, since he's solidified in here, he wants to win. I can see that. It's like that we all got the same mindset. And I just, I love it."

HC Aaron Glenn and OC Tanner Engstrand (and everyone else) were thrown a curve late last week when RG Alijah Vera-Tucker was placed on injured reserve with a second-ending triceps injury. That meant the veteran Josh Myers (and a teammate of Fields, WR Garrett Wilson and TE Jeremy Ruckert at Ohio State) got the start at center with Joe Tippmann sliding into the spot vacated by the injured AVT. The line did not seem to miss a beat.

"Tip is one of those guys that can play damn-near any position," Simpson said. "He can play any position, and he's one of those guys, very versatile."

For as well as he adapted with precious short notice, Tippmann said what has been especially clear is that Engstrand and Glenn will be true to what they've been saying for months -- the Green & White is dedicated to the run game.

"I would say that we're actually going to commit to running the ball and give props to Tanner ... we committed to it," Tippmann said. "It was something every O-line harps on. We want to be an O-line that runs the ball. We're committed to it and it definitely showed up in the game. It's something that we want to keep continuing, keep growing. Not everything was perfect, but we can clean up those little looks. And come out even better."

Even though the Bills, the five-time defending AFC East champion, eked out a 1-point win against Baltimore on Sunday night, the Ravens' offense rolled up an impressive 238 rushing yards. Maybe that sends a message to Tippmann.

"They got a good group," Tippmann said about the Bills' defense. "They got Ed Oliver out there, they got [Joey] Bosa out there. They're more penetrators than readers. That's definitely a big thing. And that's the kind of thing we look at when breaking down a game and how we're going to attack them. So, once we get that kind of locked in, we're rolling."