New York Jets Defense Answers the Bell vs. Bumbling Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns were the first victim of the "Bowles-You-Over" defense.

The New York Jets kicked off the Todd Bowles era in style, with a 31-10 beatdown of the Browns that put the NFL on notice.

An early injury to cornerback Antonio Cromartie and another to linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin were not enough to slow down the Jets defense on its way to forcing five turnovers (three fumbles, one interception) and yielding just one touchdown.

Its job was much easier this week than it will be in the future. The Browns' starting quarterback, Josh McCown, was knocked out of the game because of a concussion he suffered while trying to leap into the end zone for a touchdown. The NFL provided highlights of the play:

It did not seem immediately clear whether the job would be easier at all. The Browns marched down the field 90 yards in 17 plays before that fumble, and backup Johnny Manziel promptly threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Travis Benjamin upon entering the game. 

The Jets defense quickly found its wits, though, and held the Browns offense to just 161 yards on the next eight drives and 42 plays (3.8 yards per play), forcing two punts and three turnovers in that time. Manziel started hot, hitting four of his first six throws before the Jets cooled him off by allowing only nine completions on 18 throws in the second half.

Who knows what would have happened if McCown hadn't fumbled at the 1-yard line and/or hadn't been knocked out of the game, but it really doesn't matter. That's not what happened, and the Jets came out with the win.

"I feel like we started off a little bit slow today, especially in the first quarter and on the first drive," said cornerback Darrelle Revis. "They moved the ball pretty well, McCown did, and he had us on our heels, and we finally kind of settled down and started making plays. One thing for us, coming out of this game, is that we need to start a little faster."

It's not how you start; it's how you finish. And the Jets finished red-hot on defense.

It's interesting that the defense actually got better after Cromartie's injury. Marcus Williams subbed in on the outside, and Buster Skrine was the cornerback in the slot. Williams' prompt interception of Manziel indicated that everything would be alright. The NFL shared highlights of the critical interception:

Cromartie struggled big time in the preseason, giving up six completions on seven throws into his coverage, per Pro Football Focus. The Jets coaches would obviously prefer him on the field rather than in the trainer's room getting worked on, but Williams responded in the best way possible.

The second-year cornerback was one of the strengths of a weak Jets secondary in 2014, but if Cromartie's injury is serious, he could get even more opportunities in 2015.

The question is, how will he fare against better quarterbacks? And that's a question that could be asked of the entire Jets defense. 

One group that we can count on is the defensive line. It didn't matter who was on the field; Muhammad Wilkerson, Leonard Williams and Damon Harrison got the start, but others rotated onto the field. NJ Advance Media's Dom Cosentino noted the Jets' use of defensive line rotations:

"

Jets doing a lot of rotating along the defensive line. Stephen Bowen, TJ Barnes, Leger Douzable getting some snaps.

— dom cosentino (@domcosentino) September 13, 2015"

That group held the Browns to just 104 yards on 28 carries (3.7 yards per carry).  

Make no mistake; the Jets won't have it this easy every week. They'll have to beat much-better teams than the Browns if they want to make noise as a playoff hopeful. 

That being said, the Jets didn't make the schedule, and a 1-0 start to the Bowles era is as good as it's going to get for the Jets right now. The real tests are still to come, though, as the Jets are on the road for two of their next three games against young, up-and-coming quarterbacks when they face Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck in Week 2 and Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill in Week 4. 

If the Jets stand up to those challenges, their defense will be making its case as one of the best in the league. 

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