ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In the aftermath of a game in which his offense scored five touchdowns and 43 points, coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was still feeling the wrath of fans and media who believe the Buffalo Bills have been too predictable.

Hackett, son of longtime college and NFL coach Paul Hackett, knows that’s all part of the deal, and he doesn’t seem the least bit concerned about the screaming of the public.

“I love it; I love it,” Hackett said. “It’s a challenge. You win by 20 points, you score 43 points, I think we had five offensive touchdowns. I want more, too. I hope everybody does because why else are we doing this stuff? I love it.”

The Bills have sputtered for much of the season on offense. They rank 26th in scoring (22.2 points per game) and total yards (326.9), 27th in converting third downs (35.7 percent) and 31st in first downs per game (16.9).

In the game against the Jets, the Buffalo defense forced six turnovers and gave the offense a short field all day, so even that 43-point eruption came with a caveat. The Bills managed only 12 first downs and 280 yards.

Thus, there was some grumbling about Hackett and his insistence on trying to establish a running game that hasn’t been effective all year.

Since gaining 193 yards on opening day against a terrible Bears run defense, the Bills are averaging just 85 yards per game on the ground. Against the Jets, the Bills gained only 67 yards on 32 attempts.

The main issue has been the terrible play of the offensive line, which has created almost no room for running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller (and last week, Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown) to run.

“I want to be able to run the ball and that’s something I push towards them because I think it creates a toughness with our guys,” Hackett explained.

That’s understandable, but at this stage, the strength of the Buffalo offense is its passing game.

Since switching to Kyle Orton from struggling EJ Manuel four weeks ago, the Bills have been able to utilize more of their playbook because Orton can handle it.

However, some of Hackett’s play-calling has left something to be desired because it has created some difficult down-and-distance situations for Orton. He seems reluctant to turn it completely over to Orton.

Hackett was given a pass last year because he was dealt an untenable hand at quarterback.

Manuel, Buffalo’s first-round draft pick in 2013, played very much like you’d expect a rookie to play in the 10 games he started. In the six he missed because of knee injuries, Hackett was stuck using journeyman Thad Lewis and undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel, who had combined for one NFL start before 2013.

But this season, working with a true pro for the first time when coach Doug Marrone benched Manuel and inserted Orton, it was expected that the Bills would take a big leap forward on offense, but it really hasn’t happened.

“You have a guy that’s older than everybody now,” Hackett said of Orton. “I think that just demands that respect, regardless, because he’s played in games, because he has a winning record, he’s thrown for a lot of yards. We’re trying to get the guys in the right positions, whether it’s a new offensive lineman, a new wide receiver, or a new package.

“You never know what’s going to happen next. I think that we just have to be ready and fluid to make those changes.”

Hackett’s insistence on balancing the offense between passing and rushing might be something he recalls from his father, Paul. In 1975, four years before Nathaniel was born, his father was quarterbacks coach for Cal Berkeley, which featured Joe Roth at quarterback, Wesley Walker at wide receiver and Chuck Muncie at running back.

Paul Hackett was the quarterback coach under coach Mike White and offensive coordinator Roger Theder. The Cal offense led the nation with an average of 458.6 yards per game.

But the more remarkable achievement was that Cal was as perfectly balanced as any team in the history of football, gaining exactly 2,522 yards passing and the same amount rushing (229.9 yards per game in the air and on the ground).

While Hackett cannot expect the Bills to match such an achievement, it is an interesting, historic footnote that is a part of the Hackett family lore.

NOTES: QB Kyle Orton ranks seventh in the NFL in completion percentage at 67.4 percent, and he leads the league in fourth-quarter passer rating at 132.5. Orton has led two fourth-quarter comeback victories in his four starts. … Rookie WR Sammy Watkins has made 29 first downs on his 38 pass receptions, a 76.3 percent conversion rate that is second in the league only to Indianapolis’ T.Y. Hilton. … LB Preston Brown leads the Bills in tackles with 59, which ranks second among all NFL rookies. … DT Marcell Dareus has seven sacks, which ranks No. 2 in the NFL and No. 1 among defensive tackles. … CB Leodis McKelvin ranks second in the NFL with four interceptions.