Biggest Takeaways from New York Jets' Week 2 Win

What a difference an All-Pro cornerback can make.

Darrelle Revis grabbed an interception and recovered two fumbles as the New York Jets stomped on the Indianapolis Colts, 20-7. The Jets held Luck to just 21 completions on 37 pass attempts, one touchdown pass and three interceptions at the Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night.

The defense as a whole played a marvelous game, but once again, Revis made his presence felt. 

The Jets forced five turnovers, bringing their season total to 10 through two games. For a team that forced a total of 13 turnovers in 2014 and 28 in the past two seasons combined, 10 through two games is a dramatic improvement.

One person who was validated heavily on Monday night was general manager Mike Maccagnan. The Jets front-office leader made a lot of decisions that put his fingerprints all over the roster. So far, his decisions are paying off.

Here are some other takeaways from the Jets' huge early-season win over the Colts. 

The Jets Can Move the Ball Through the Air

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We all knew that at some point the Jets would come up against a defense that could shut down the run and would force the Jets to throw the ball. No one would have guessed that game would come against the Colts, though.

These are the same Colts that allowed 100 rushing yards or more in seven of their previous eight games headed into Monday night. The Colts defense didn't hold the Jets below 100, but they tightened up in the middle of the line and allowed just 101 yards on the ground in this game. To combat that, though, the Jets threw the ball for 244 yards.

The Jets had to win the game through the air, which is exactly what they did.

In the first half, the Jets had 158 passing yards and just 21 rushing yards. 

This might not be the way the Jets can win every week, and surely they would like their star running back to have a good game and carry the team to success. But at least we saw the offense carry the team when it needed to.

Jets Pass Rush Is Capable of Dominating a Game

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Jets head coach Todd Bowles is known for his exotic pass-rush packages and schemes, and he pulled out all of them against the Colts on Monday night.

A cornerback blitz from Buster Skrine resulted in an interception, but the pressure from the Jets defense impacted more than just that one play. In the first half, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was 5-of-14 passing and finished the game 21-of-37 with one touchdown and three picks.

The Jets got home with a four-man rush and a zone blitz. They did whatever it took to keep Luck off balance.

Over the years, the Jets have invested a lot of resources in the defensive line with first-round draft picks up front. In 2015, they invested a lot of coin in the secondary. Those two investments are coming together to form a formidable defense for the Jets.

The Jets Have Not Faced Major Adversity Yet

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Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

The Jets have not been punched in the mouth yet—well, with one very important exception. 

Sure, the Jets struggled early against the Cleveland Browns and had to catch up after giving up an early touchdown, but the Jets went into the locker room with a 14-10 lead. They went into the locker room against the Colts on Monday with a 10-0 lead that could have been a 13-0 lead if kicker Nick Folk didn't push a last-second field goal into the sidebar.

There is no way to measure a team's heart, but one way to get a feel for how competitive a team can be is to see how it plays when its back is against a wall. There's only one example of that so far, and the Jets rose to the occasion. 

Opportunistic Defense Could Be the Name of the Game for the Jets

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The Jets are playing a stingy brand of defense the likes of which we haven't seen from them in a long time.

The Jets forced 28 turnovers over the past two seasons, which is the fewest for any team in a two-season stretch in NFL history. With 10 turnovers on defense through two games, though, the Jets are far and away the NFL leaders in takeaways. 

With three interceptions and two fumble recoveries, the Jets forced five turnovers against the Colts. That's exactly as many turnovers as they forced against the Cleveland Brown in Week 1. The Jets defense is good enough to win games without a ton of turnovers, but their ability to take the ball away from their opponents has given them a new identity.

The Jets aren't likely to keep this up for 16 games, and they certainly can't keep winning unless they start capitalizing on those turnovers. On Monday night, they earned just seven points off those five turnovers. 

Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall Are a Dynamic Duo of Receivers

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It still feels strange talking about the wide receiver position as a strength for the Jets, but we are far removed from the days of Stephen Hill and Santonio Holmes.

It seemed like anywhere you looked on Monday, either Eric Decker or Brandon Marshall was hauling in a pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick. The two combined for 15 of Fitzpatrick's 22 completions, 198 of his 244 yards and both his touchdowns. 

Decker did a lot of his damage from the slot, which is not a good sign for Jeremy Kerley, who has not even sniffed a pass yet in 2015. 

No matter where he's lining up, both receivers are playing integral roles in the passing game and the running game. The Jets have been very flexible early in the season with their formations, going from two backs and one tight end to no backs and five pass-catchers.

Decker and Marshall have had a big impact in the passing game, but also as blockers when the Jets run the ball.