Spokesman-Review
National Football League
N.Y. Jets 20, Indianapolis 7
When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, September 21, 2015
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: John Hussey
Attendance: 65220

INDIANAPOLIS -- Turnovers defined the season's first eight quarters for the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts.

The Jets forced 10 -- five in each game -- in victories against the Cleveland Browns and now the Colts. Indianapolis committed eight -- three in a loss to the Buffalo Bills and five more Monday night in New York's 20-7 triumph at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass, and the Jets made life miserable for quarterback Andrew Luck and the Colts.

New York quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes, including a 15-yarder to wide receiver Brandon Marshall with 6:20 remaining to cap a seven-play, 80-yard drive after the Colts closed within 10-7.

"That was a big drive," Fitzpatrick said, "We got in the huddle, looked each other in the eye and knew we had to make something happen. Marshall and (wide receiver) Eric Decker made my job easy, and it was fun watching our defense make plays after the pain of going against those guys in training camp.

"We have a long way to go, but this is a good team, and it is a team with good chemistry."

The Jets (2-0) intercepted Luck three times and recovered one of his fumbles. They also recovered a fumble by running back Frank Gore at the goal line -- Revis snatched that one -- to deny Indianapolis (0-2) what would have been a third-quarter touchdown.

"They're flying around, they're starting to buy into the system," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "We're not where we want to be. We're on the way."

Luck finished 21 of 37 for 250 yards and one touchdown. In two games, Luck has been intercepted five times and lost a fumble.

Since the start of the 2012 season and Luck's career, the Colts are 16-2 in AFC South games, 17-15 outside the division.

"We continue to shoot ourselves in the foot," Luck said. "We have to practice better and obviously play better. My first interception was a bad throw, and the third one, I was just trying to make a play.

"We have to stop putting ourselves in third-and-longs, and we have to find a way to get a win."

The Colts, who also began the 2014 season 0-2, drove 91 yards in eight plays for their only score, a 26-yard touchdown pass from the struggling Luck to wide receiver Donte Moncrief (seven receptions, 122 yards) with 10:07 left in the fourth quarter.

Fitzpatrick countered with his second touchdown pass, and with 4:35 remaining, Jets free safety Marcus Gilchrist intercepted Luck along the right sideline, protecting a 10-point lead.

After the Gilchrist pick, Nick Folk kicked a 46-yard field goal with 57 seconds to play, extending the Jets' lead to 13 points.

"We squandered opportunities," an obviously frustrated Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. "It's very disappointing when you have five turnovers, 11 penalties and are 0-for-5 on third down in the first half.

"You aren't going to beat Zionsville (High School) turning the ball over like that. Our defense played pretty well, but they got tired at the end. We've got to get in there and fix this thing quickly. It's probably a good thing we have a game in six days."

Fitzgerald finished 22 of 34 for 244 yards with one interception. Marshall had seven receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Decker added eight catches for 97 yards and a score.

New York strong safety Calvin Pryor set up the game's first score with an interception of Luck with 8:28 remaining in the first quarter, returning it 29 yards to the Indianapolis 9-yard line.

Fitzpatrick threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Decker after a holding penalty against Colts cornerback Vontae Davis extended the drive and gave New York a first down at the 4.

Folk's extra point gave the Jets a 7-0 lead with 6:44 remaining in the opening period.

The Colts moved deep into Jets' territory on the ensuing drive, but kicker Adam Vinatieri missed on a 29-yard field-goal attempt with 4:02 remaining in the first quarter.

New York extended its lead to 10-0 with 1:51 remaining in the first half on Folk's 35-yard field goal, capping a 10-play, 54-yard drive. The march included a 19-yard pass to Decker that moved the ball to the Indianapolis 31.

The Jets threatened to extend their first-half lead, but Folk missed a 48-yard field goal attempt on the second quarter's final play. Revis set up that opportunity by recovering a Luck fumble at the Indianapolis 48.

Including last week's loss at Buffalo, the Colts failed to score in the opening half in consecutive games for the first time since Weeks 8 and 9 of the 1997 season.

NOTES: Colts veteran LB Robert Mathis and WR T.Y. Hilton answered any questions about their health by playing against the Jets. Mathis made one tackle, while Hilton finished with four catches for 45 yards. ... Indianapolis was penalized four times for 36 yards in a sloppy first quarter, including holding penalties against TE Dwayne Allen and LT Anthony Castonzo during the Colts' opening possession. ... Colts QB Andrew Luck started slowly, completing only three of eight passes for 35 yards and an interception during the first quarter. ... The Jets' inactive players were QB Geno Smith, WR Devin Smith, CB Darrin Walls, OLB Lorenzo Mauldin, G Jarvis Harrison, T Ben Ijalana and NT Deon Simon. ... The Colts' inactives were CB Darius Butler, CB Greg Toler, ILB Nate Irving, DT T.Y. McGill, T Denzelle Good, OLB Jonathan Newsome and NT Zach Kerr.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
N.Y. Jets   Indianapolis
Chris Ivory Player Frank Gore
14 Attempts 15
57 Yards 57
4.1 Avg Yards 3.8
0 Touchdowns 0
19 Long 18
Receiving
N.Y. Jets   Indianapolis
Brandon Marshall Player Donte Moncrief
7 Receptions 7
101 Yards 122
14.4 Avg Yards 17.4
1 Touchdowns 1
42 Long 30
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
N.Y. Jets 344 101 243 2 2 3 0.0 1
Indianapolis 343 93 250 1 0 1 1.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Indianapolis will play their next game on the road against Tennessee. The Colts have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • N.Y. Jets will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Jets have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.