New York Jets Look Like Legit AFC Contender After 2-0 Start

An AFC contender emerged on Monday Night Football, but it wasn't the Indianapolis Colts.

Instead, the New York Jets were the ones that looked the part in a convincing 20-7 win on the road in Indianapolis, taking it to a team regarded as a primary Super Bowl 50 favorite and moving to 2-0 in the process.

This time, it's not the fluke like their last 2-0 start in 2011 turned out to be.

The Jets didn't appear in the preseason to have the total package on either side of the ball, but they're showing there's more than enough to compete throughout the year. A lot of the talent that was always there is shining, while other key players are finding their groove under this new coaching staff.

Like all great teams—and most importantly, not like most of the AFC's elite—it starts with a complete and nasty defense.

The Jets absolutely hounded Andrew Luck all game long Monday night, living in the backfield and sticking to his receivers like glue. Against what's supposed to be one of the NFL's most methodical offenses, New York forced turnovers at a relentless pace.

Proof lies in the Jets' forcing five turnovers, two more than the number of punts they forced from the Colts offense. Their turnover ratio on the season is ridiculous after forcing five last week against Cleveland, as NFL.com's Gil Brandt noted:

A majority of those turnovers came as a result of a boisterous performance from the Jets' front, which took it to the Colts' offensive line for 60 minutes. Rookie first-round pick Leonard Williams came into his own with several pressures on Luck, while Muhammad Wilkerson looked his usual demonstrative self.

Overall, new head coach Todd Bowles has to be ecstatic about how his unit is performing, as Manish Mehta of New York Daily News reported:

New York already looks like it has the league's most formidable defensive front, and it's not even playing with its best defensive player, as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller observed:

But as disruptive as the Jets' front is, it doesn't matter without shutdown defensive backs—Jets fans know this all too well from the last two seasons.

Thanks to owner Woody Johnson's reaching deep into his pockets, that's no longer an issue in New York. Paying the money doesn't guarantee anything, but Darrelle Revis' play so far has looked more than deserving.

Revis was all over Colts receivers T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief all game, but it wasn't his coverage that forced turnovers. Instead, Revis snatched up two fumble recoveries—one on the goal line with the Colts one yard away.

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Stand-up play on the other island from Antonio Cromartie helped as well, but Buster Skrine's emergence is the game-changer for the Jets secondary. Skrine led the team with eight tackles Monday, played great in coverage and forced Luck into his first-quarter interception on a blitz.

Skrine's inconsistency in Cleveland led to his exit there, but his style of play fits right in with the Jets, as Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday noted:

A stout defense is great and all, but the Jets won't get anywhere in the AFC without an offense that can pull its weight. For once, Jets fans can say they have that.

The Jets offensive line finally has a veteran quarterback behind it to make the right decisions and get the ball out. Ryan Fitzpatrick has dazzled in his first two starts with Gang Green, completing nearly 64 percent of his passes with a two-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Downhill running back Chris Ivory's strong start (34 carries for 148 yards and two touchdowns) indicates the Jets have the running game as well to chug along drives:

The inconsistency that has followed Fitzpatrick throughout his career doesn't seem likely to return this season, not behind the best offensive line he's ever played with. A reunion with Chan Gailey has Fitzpatrick playing ball reminiscent of his Buffalo Bills days that garnered him a fat contract.

All Fitzpatrick has to do is manage, and he's doing that just fine, as Fox Sports' Kevin Burkhardt noted:

All of the defensive acquisitions have garnered the most attention, but it's Brandon Marshall who has taken the Jets to the next level. His red-zone proficiency and reliable chain-moving catches, which he put on display with an impressive touchdown grab Monday night, are skills this team hasn't seen in years.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Take a Jets roster already sprinkled with elite players and add the pieces that new general manager Mike Maccagnan has implemented, and you suddenly have a team that could compete in a pretty wide-open AFC.

Their mentality certainly proves so, as Sigmund Bloom of FootballGuys.com observed:

Exuding that against the Colts on the road is impressive, yes. But as impressive as that was, the real measuring stick comes on Oct. 25 when they face the mighty New England Patriots.

Think about this—the Jets could very well be 5-0 when that day comes. They begin a three-game homestand Sunday against the struggling Philadelphia Eagles before turning around to face the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins.

New York also appears to match up well against its out-of-division opponents, facing three very beatable squads from the AFC South (Tennessee, Jacksonville and Houston), having already topped the division's best team.

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or perhaps Ben Roethlisberger will eventually test the Jets' wits on defense if they are to make a postseason run, but there's no reason to think they can't hold up. Their formidable defensive line and stellar bump-and-run coverage is a formula that can top the best of the AFC.

From there on, all the Jets will need is timely and careful play from the offense to have a legitimate shot at their first-ever AFC championship.