Folk’s 23-yard FG gives Jets 3-0 lead over Ravens after 1st quarter

Folk’s FG gives Jets 3-0 lead after 1st quarter

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Nick Folk kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the New York Jets a 3-0 lead over the Baltimore Ravens after one quarter in the teams’ season opener on Monday night.

The field goal was set up when Rex Ryan’s aggressive defense, ranked No. 1 last season, showed it intends to be a force again.

Shaun Ellis and Bryan Thomas sacked Baltimore’s Joe Flacco on the Ravens’ first possession, knocking the ball loose. Sione Pouha recovered to give the Jets the ball at the Ravens 11.

After a 2-yard run by LaDainian Tomlinson, a 4-yard catch by Dustin Keller and an incomplete pass toward Braylon Edwards, Folk gave the Jets the lead 4:06 into the game.

The Ravens were driving on their next drive when Vernon Gholston stripped running back Willis McGahee of the ball, and Pouha recovered his second fumble of the game.

Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins left game during that drive after hurting his left knee. The 10-year veteran, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee midway through last season, was caught in a pileup on a tackle of Ravens running back Le’Ron McClain. He immediately clutched his left knee and remained on the turf for a few minutes, then got up and limped to the sideline. The Jets said his return was questionable.

The start of the game was delayed 25 minutes because of lightning. It marked the first regular-season game for the Jets at the $1.6 billion New Meadowlands Stadium, which they share with the Giants.

The Giants opened the season on Sunday with a 31-18 victory over Carolina.

It was Ryan’s first game as Jets coach against the Ravens, the team he was hired away from following the 2008 season after 10 years as an assistant, including the last four as the defensive coordinator.

Ryan and Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis engaged in some trash-talk during the week, with the Baltimore star taking exception to his former coach’s big talk about New York’s Super Bowl hopes.

There was a little chippiness right before the game, too, as Baltimore’s Ray Rice and Ellis were woofing at each other around midfield. Rice tossed the ball he was holding toward Ellis’ head, and the Jets’ Bart Scott grabbed the ball and zinged it toward Rice as he was jogging away.

It’s been a tumultuous week for the Jets, the stars of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this summer. They are being investigated by the NFL for how they treated a female television reporter at practice at Saturday. The league is also looking into a claim by an unidentified team that a workout session put together by quarterback Mark Sanchez violated offseason rules because Ryan and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer attended some of the practices.

The game also marked the return of cornerback Darrelle Revis, who signed a four-year deal, ending 36-day holdout a week before opener. He was in the Jets starting lineup.

Tomlinson, Jason Taylor and Antonio Cromartie, high-profile acquisitions during the offseason for the Jets, made their debuts.

New Ravens wide receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Anquan Boldin played their first regular-season games for Baltimore.