5 Biggest Takeaways from New York Jets' Week 1 Win

Rarely, if ever, can a Week 1 game be called a must-win. For the New York Jets, though, their season opener against the Cleveland Browns might have been a rare exception to that rule.

The Jets were favored by just 3.5 points, according to Odds Shark, but anyone who was paying attention knew the Jets should theoretically win the game by as many as 10 points.

They couldn't afford to lose this game if they wanted to be taken seriously in 2015. Sure enough, they delivered a Week 1 rout—that being said, the Jets have won the first game of the season each of the past four seasons but have still managed to miss the playoffs.

If they want to make a postseason push in 2015, they'll have to improve in some areas.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the Jets' resounding 31-10 win. 

Ryan Fitzpatrick Can Be Efficient Enough to Guide Jets Offense

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Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't need to dominate the stat sheet for the Jets to pick up victories in 2015.

All he needs to do is exactly what he did on Sunday: manage the game.

Fitzpatrick went 15-of-24 passing (62.5 percent) for 179 yards (7.5 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns, one interception and a 95.7 passer rating.

"He does everything right," said wide receiver Brandon Marshall. "It would take us 10 minutes to sit down and talk about everything he does right. I just think it starts with the way he takes control of not only the huddle, but the entire building. He's a great guy for all of us to follow and we’re fortunate to have him."

Fitzpatrick is lucky that Marshall was in position to force a fumble after the interception; otherwise, who knows if the Jets would have felt the ill effects of that turnover near the red zone.

Thanks to some huge contributions from the defense and the running game (more on that later), Fitzpatrick didn't need to light up the scoreboard for the Jets to have a successful outing in Week 1. 

Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell Are a Heck of a 1-2 Punch

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Ground-and-pound is alive and well. 

The Jets offense is under new leadership with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey calling the shots. He has staked his reputation on a spread offense and an aerial assault in the passing game, but it's reassuring to know he won't completely abandon the run to accomplish his goal of offensive efficiency.

The Jets ran the ball 36 times for 154 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and two touchdowns against the Browns, and with 24 pass attempts against 36 rush attempts, the offense was able to maintain some balance in Week 1.

Of course, some of that balance may have been due to the score, which heavily favored the Jets for most of the second half, but Gailey has been known to throw the ball in such situations in the past. With Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell in the backfield, though, he has the luxury of handing it off while still keeping the offense on schedule.

The Jets Defense Is Still an Aggressive, Blitz-Heavy Defense

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The more things change, the more they stay the same. 

New head coach Todd Bowles is ushering in a new era of Jets football, but that doesn't mean he's completely doing away with the old guard. One prevalent characteristic of the Jets under head coach Rex Ryan was their propensity for an aggressive style of defense.

If Week 1 is any indication, that won't be changing anytime soon. 

The Jets sent blitz pressure after the Browns quarterbacks on 17 of 32 dropbacks (53.1 percent), according to Pro Football Focus. Nearly everyone got an opportunity to rush the passer; there were 22 Jets defenders who played at least one snap on Sunday, and all but five of them rushed at least once.

Exotic pressure and man coverage will still be the name of the game for the Jets defense. 

Brandon Marshall Is Still a Beast

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The Jets added wide receiver Brandon Marshall to provide their offense with another big-bodied boundary threat in the passing game. It didn't take long for him to deliver on those hopes. 

Marshall led the Jets with six receptions for 62 yards and a one-yard touchdown grab over Browns cornerback Joe Haden that cemented the wideout's continued ability to leap over cornerbacks and make contested catches. 

There's only one way this relationship could go wrong, and that's if Marshall isn't happy with his role on offense. As it turns out, that's almost exactly what went down.

"I was kind of screaming at the coaches a little bit because they took me off the field the play before," Marshall said. "It was a good feeling when they called me back in there. Once we saw one-on-one I knew he was coming."

The Jets should be happy to get Marshall involved. Whether it's Ryan Fitzpatrick or Geno Smith at quarterback, Marshall still has the skill set to bail out the passer by simply giving his quarterback an option who can win his matchup on size (6'4", 230 lbs) alone.

The Todd Bowles Era Is off to a Fantastic Start

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Todd Bowles couldn't have asked for a much better start to the season—and to his tenure as the Jets head coach—than a 31-10 beatdown.

"It feels good," Bowles said. "You get the butterflies and the first one out of the way. It wasn't perfect but we did what we had to do to win. They had more penalties than us. It's a good start."

The Jets had some serious penalty problems in the preseason, but they had just four flags against them compared to 12 flags for the Browns. There were some hiccups early in the game that led to the Jets facing an uphill battle and a 7-0 deficit that could have easily been 14-0 were it not for a goal-line fumble by Browns quarterback/helicopter Josh McCown.

But the Jets made the necessary adjustments and finished the game strong to hold serve at home in the opener. A stalwart defensive performance and an efficient showing from the offense resulted in a crisp victory for the Jets. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.