Darrelle Revis and New York Jets turn up the heat on start to NFL season

The New York Jets hounded Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night to spring out to a surprise 2-0 start in the NFL, behind a dominating defence.

Darrelle Revis returned to the New York Jets this summer after winning the 2015 Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. Paul Sancya / AP

Darrelle Revis’s new team is getting the same results he’s always had against Andrew Luck.

The veteran cornerback is still mystifying the young quarterback.

Revis picked off one pass, recovered two fumbles and helped the suddenly opportunistic New York Jets defence come up with five turnovers again Monday night to help pull away for a 20-7 NFL victory at the Indianapolis Colts.

“It’s Monday night, on a big stage, and we knew what type of game this was going to be,” Revis said.

So he delivered a prime-time performance.

Revis’s homecoming has been everything New York fans hoped for. With Revis and Antonio Cromartie locking down outside receivers, first-year coach Todd Bowles has been able to rely on his defensive front to stop the run and routinely pressure quarterbacks.

In the opener against the Cleveland Browns, New York converted five turnovers into 21 points.

Against the supposedly high-powered Colts offence, they did it again. The Jets matched that five-turnover total, kept the Colts out of the end zone for three full quarters and never gave Luck a chance to get comfortable. The result: New York are off to their first 2-0 start since 2011.

“The name of the game is turnovers and keeping the score down, regardless of whatever else happens,” Bowles said.

Indianapolis (0-2) are keeping their dismal start in perspective.

After starting last season with back-to-back losses, they won five straight.

This time seems different. Luck was 21-of-37 for 250 yards with one touchdown, three interceptions and one lost fumble. After a strong start, Frank Gore finished with 15 carries for 57 yards and Donte Moncrief was the only receiver to top the 50-yard mark. Moncrief caught seven passes for 122 yards and Indy’s only touchdown.

Part of the problem was Revis and his teammates.

The other problems were self-inflicted. On Monday, the Colts were called for 11 penalties, Gore bobbled a handoff at the Jets 1-yard line that Revis recovered in the end zone, Adam Vinatieri missed a 29-yard field goal – the first time he’s missed one from shorter than 30 yards since 2007 – and for the first time since 1997, the Colts were shut out in the first half in back-to-back weeks.

Indy have scored just 21 points in eight quarters, and inside the stadium, the fans who roared for Robert Mathis’s return and Jeff Saturday’s induction into the ring of honour, booed heartily as the mistakes piled up.

“You can’t penalise yourself, you can’t turn the ball over,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “We have to protect, give him (Luck) a clean pocket. You can’t drive the length of the field and put the football on the ground.”

The Colts’ problems began early.

On Indy’s first series, Calvin Pryor intercepted a pass and ran it back to the Colts 9-yard line. Four plays later, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a 6-yard TD pass to Eric Decker.

Fitzpatrick finished 22-of-34 for 244 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception – getting his first career win at Lucas Oil Stadium. Fitzpatrick became the first player since 1950 to start five consecutive road games against one team while playing for five different teams. He was 0-4 in the previous starts.

Decker had eight receptions for 97 yards before leaving with a knee injury, and Brandon Marshall caught seven passes for 101 yards and one touchdown.

But it was defence that ruled the day.

“All we talk about is trying to dominate as a defence and we take a lot of pride in that,” Pryor said. “Our main focus is to come in week in and week-out, bring the intensity, try to dominate as a defence, create turnovers, get the ball back to our offence and let them go execute.

The Jets struggled to put this one away, though.

New York couldn’t score again until Nick Folk made a 35-yard field goal late in the first half.

Indy finally got on the board with Luck’s 26-yard TD pass to Moncrief with 10:07 left in the game.

Fitzpatrick answered on the next series with a 15-yard TD pass to Marshall and Marcus Gilchrist’s late interception set up Folk’s final field goal.

“As a secondary we’re trying to be the best we can be and be the best secondary unit in the league,” Revis said. “That’s what we’re trying to showcase out there.”

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