INDIANAPOLIS — Nobody was happier than Eric Decker when the Jets acquired Brandon Marshall.
Sure, the Jets wide receiver knew his time as the team’s No. 1 receiver was coming to an end, but he also figured playing alongside Marshall would benefit him.
Monday night was a perfect example.
Before leaving in the fourth quarter with what he expects to be a minor left knee injury, Decker enjoyed one of his better performances as a Jet, hauling in eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in Gang Green’s impressive 20-7 win over the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“That’s what you want,” Marshall said of the Jets’ dynamic receiving tandem. “You can go back to his days [in Denver] when it was Demaryius [Thomas] and himself. One week it was Demaryius, other week it was him.”
With the Colts worried about Marshall and stopping Chris Ivory and the Jets running game, Decker had a field day in the first half.
Decker created havoc for the defense, beating the Colts over the middle and with precise routes, abusing their backups as Vontae Davis typically was matched up with Marshall. Decker was wide open for a 6-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter over the middle, smoking Davis on a slant pattern and faced very little resistance on several of his other catches.
That wasn’t possible last year, when Decker drew constant double-teams, forced into being The Guy. This performance was more reminiscent of how well Decker fared in Denver playing next to Thomas, taking advantage of man-to-man coverage.
Decker was taken to the locker room midway through the fourth quarter after a long incomplete pass and will have an MRI exam Tuesday. But he doesn’t expect to be out long, and believes it is a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury.
“I don’t think it’s surgical, so I don’t think it’s too serious,” he said.
Decker did caution he won’t make the same mistake as he did last year, when he rushed back following a hamstring injury.
“I’m going to be smart about it this time around,” he said.
The Jets may have to wait a bit to get their two receivers over 100 yards in the same game. They came close on Monday.
“‘Deck’ couldn’t get an extra 3 yards to go over 100?” Marshall asked jokingly. “Got to get on him about that.”
Marshall took over in the fourth quarter, the new Jet hauling in a 15-yard touchdown pass with 6:20 left for a 17-7 lead. Marshall made four of his seven catches after halftime, and finished with 101 yards receiving.
The 28-year-old Decker inked a five-year, $36.25 million deal with the Jets in March 2014. His first season was rocky, a 4-12 campaign that saw him make 74 catches for 962 yards and five touchdowns. He may not catch the same number of passes or amass nearly as many yards, but the Jets already have won half as many games as last year — the most important stat of all.
