EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A familiar sight greeted the new-look New York Jets late Sunday afternoon. Except this time, fans were heading for the MetLife Stadium exits in the fourth quarter with smiles on their faces instead of frowns.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes and running back Chris Ivory rushed for two scores as the Jets routed the Cleveland Browns 31-10 in an injury-marred season opener for both teams.

The Jets trailed 7-0 and 10-7 in the second quarter before ending the game with a 24-0 run that began with Fitzpatrick's first touchdown pass, a 15-yarder to wide receiver Eric Decker in the back of the end zone with 26 seconds left in the first half.

In the third quarter, Fitzpatrick (15 of 24, 179 yards, one interception) threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Marshall (six catches for 62 yards) and kicker Nick Folk booted a 34-yard field goal.

Ivory, who accounted for the Jets' first touchdown on a 10-yard run in the second quarter, capped the scoring with a 3-yard run with 10:38 left in the fourth, after which MetLife turned into a ghost town as fans tried to beat the traffic home.

Such sights were familiar last season when the Jets went 2-6 at home during a 4-12 campaign that resulted in the firing of head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik.

"If they want to leave in the fourth quarter, that's fine -- I'd like them to stay, but it's a good feeling," Decker said with a grin. “We played good football, good team football, and that's what we expect."

The Jets recovered from a slow start on both sides of the ball to dominate the Browns in the first game under the new regime of head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan.

Offensively, New York collected just four first downs in its first five drives before racking up 14 first downs on its last six possessions. Defensively, the Jets gave up nine first downs and 10 points during the Browns' first four drives before limiting Cleveland to six first downs in the final six series.

"It's special because it's the first team win. I'm very happy for the team," said Bowles, who was presented with the game ball in the locker room afterward. "By no means are we perfect. We've got a lot of corrections to make."

The Jets may have to make those corrections without two valuable players on defense. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie suffered a non-contact left knee injury in the second quarter and rookie linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin was strapped to a cart and taken to a hospital with neck and head injuries after he was piled on during a scramble for a loose ball in the fourth quarter.

Bowles had no update on either player yet but said "I hope not" when asked if Cromartie had suffered an ACL injury. Jets cornerback Calvin Pryor, who played with Mauldin at Louisville, said Mauldin was breathing but not very responsive as he was tended to by team doctors.

The Browns, meanwhile, lost quarterback Josh McCown (concussion) when he tried scrambling for a touchdown on their first offensive series. McCown was knocked off his feet by Pryor at about the 3-yard-line and helicoptered, a la John Elway, before the ball was jarred loose during a mid-air collision with linebacker Demario Davis and recovered in the end zone by Cromartie.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, who spent much of the offseason in a rehab center, threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Travis Benjamin on his first drive and led the Browns to a 25-yard field goal by kicker Travis Coons on his third possession.

The Jets contained Manziel in the second half, when the second-year quarterback committed three turnovers (one interception and two fumbles).

"For coming in cold, he did some good things," Browns coach Mike Pettine said. "And there's some things that he obviously will regret."

Manziel finished 13 of 24 for 182 yards for the Browns, who have lost 11 straight season openers. He also led Cleveland in rushing with 35 yards on five scrambles.

"Disappointing way to open the season," Pettine said. "You invest so much in the opener, you prepare for it, you overprepare for it, and to lose the way we did, it's difficult to swallow."

NOTES: The Jets are 27-29 all time in openers and the Browns are 27-36. ... With the win under first-year coach Todd Bowles, the Jets improved to 9-9 in a head coach's debut. ... The Jets' inactives were led by QB Geno Smith, who will likely miss the first month of the season with a broken jaw. ... Thanks to two Cleveland penalties, Browns K Travis Coons kicked a 48-yard extra point after Cleveland's first touchdown. ... The most notable inactive for the Browns was veteran WR Dwayne Bowe, who was out with a hamstring injury. Bowe received $9.5 million guaranteed as a free agent but played the majority of the fourth preseason game before being listed as questionable on last week's injury report.