Aug 21, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) hands the ball to New York Jets running back Chris Ivory (33) during the first half of their game against the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium. Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
New York Jets (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET, at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis – TV: ESPN
*TV announcers: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters
*Keys to the game: The Jets match up well with the Colts across the formation – especially if Colts WR T.Y. Hilton (knee) sits as expected. QB Andrew Luck was just 10 of 24 against the blitz last week at Buffalo. He can keep plays alive and help his receivers break away from tight man coverage, but WR Andre Johnson looked slow last week and rookie Phillip Dorsett wasn’t a factor. Getting RB Frank Gore rolling is easier said than done because of the Jets’ stout front.
The Jets executed their game plan to perfection in Week 1 and, like the Bills did, would prefer to line up and play throwback, power football with the occasional deep shot to Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker or rookie Devin Smith. The Colts will load the box to stop RB Chris Ivory and take their chances with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, a player this coaching staff has faced many times.
*Matchup to watch – Jets C Nick Mangold vs. Colts ILB D’Qwell Jackson: Jackson is a tackle machine going for his third consecutive game against the Jets with 10-plus stops. Mangold gets to the second level, shifting gears smoothly and spearheads a rugged running game.
*Player spotlight – Jets CB Marcus Williams: A second-year undrafted free agent from North Dakota State likely to start with Antonio Cromartie (knee) limping, he has impressed coach Todd Bowles, who said “The game is not too big for him.”
Fast facts: Fitzpatrick has won a game with five different NFL teams. Chris Chandler did it with six franchises. … Gore needs 13 yards to reach 14,000 in his career.
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
The Colts pick up the pace and force Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets to abandon the plodding running game to regain some of the bravado lost in Buffalo last week.
*Our pick: Colts 30-20.
