Primetime Monday night in Indianapolis against one of the best Qb's in the game is the setting for tomorrow nights Jets game. The Colts are coming off of one of the worse losses in the young career of Andrew Luck. Former Jets coach Rex Ryan brought the pressure and Luck ended the game with 2 TD and 2 INT in the loss. He was also sacked twice.. The Jets got off to a slow start against the Browns but ended up winning 31-10 in Todd Bowles first career game as the HC of the NYJ. Chris Ivory, Brandon Marshall and the Jets Defense lead the way.
How do the Jets stack up vs the Colts? Maybe a little better than you think..
At QB, the edge clearly goes to the Colts with Andrew Luck. However, if the Jets can bring similar pressure that the Bills brought last week the Colts could struggle. The Jets possess a very similar defense to the Bills and I am sure a part of their gameplan is to make Luck uncomfortable.
For the Jets to win this game, they will have to get a lot of production from the RB position. Ivory has been a little banged up this week but should start and be productive. Powell should also contribute and may get a little more workload if Ivory is still hurting. I will be very interested to see if Zac Stacy is active. If he is, that could mean the Jets intend to rely heavy on the run game and get all 3 backs some touches.
Similar to last week, I look for the Jets to try and spread the Colts out with their WR's and try to create some mismatches. This worked very well last week as the run game really opened up some good looks for Owusu, Marshall and Decker. Second Round Pick Devin Smith might be healthy enough to make his debut but at who's expense? Is it possible that Jeremy Kerley be an inactive coaches decision? Seems Kerley, who signed a nice contract extension last year, has landed himelf and his role on the team in question with Chan Gailey and Todd Bowles.
As I stated earlier, the Jets getting pressure on Luck is one of the keys to the game. I cant stress enough the Jets front seven MUST get pressure. Trevor Rielly played well last week and could see some extra play time if Lorenzo Mauldin (Concussion) cant go.
The secondary will have their hands full, especially if the front 7 fail to get consistant pressure on Luck. On paper, most will say that Revis will shadow Andre Johnson. I happen to think Marcus Williams or Cromartie (if healthy) will mostly line up with Johnson and Revis would be used more on Hilton (if healthy) and Moncrief. Look for another strong game from 2014 1st round pick Calvin Pryor. Last week he seemed to play with the chip on his shoulder we all thought he would have last year coming out of Louisville.
Predictions for the game: The Jets are a 7 point underdog. f I were a betting man, I would take the Jets and the 7 (maybe buy a 1/2 point). I think they can keep the game close and potentially steal a win. To pull out the win, the Jets will have to win the turnover battle. Fitzpatrick will again throw for around 200 yards with a TD. the Jets run game will have to be stellar. As a group, they wll have to produce 150-200 yards on the ground to help open up the pass game. Look for the matchup between Brandon Marshall and Vonte Davis. Davis has emerged as an elite corner and is certain to line up against Marshall most of the time.
BOLD PREDICTIONS: Jets win the game 24-20. Leonard Williams will get his first career sack and Jeremy Kerley will be a healthy inactive.