Brian Daboll’s first game with the Titans looked a lot like the kind of offensive mess Giants fans remember all too well.
Tennessee opened its season Sunday against the New York Jets with a fresh look and a new setup, but the results were ugly from the start. The Titans fell 23-10 and never found much rhythm, leaving Cam Ward and the offense stuck in neutral while Brian Daboll handled the playcalling.
The passing game barely got off the ground. Tennessee completed 19 of 32 throws for just 127 yards, and the run game didn’t do enough to pick up the slack, finishing with 68 yards on 14 carries. Tony Pollard accounted for 35 of those yards on five attempts.
There was some chaos on the Jets side too. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick left in the first half with a groin injury and did not return, while cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. exited with a calf injury before coming back. None of that changed the fact that the Titans’ offense still couldn’t generate much.
For Giants fans, the script felt familiar. Daboll-led offenses have a habit of stumbling out of the gate.
In 2023, New York opened with a 40-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. In 2024, the Giants were beaten 28-6 by the Vikings, a game that ended with Daniel Jones getting booed as he walked off the field.
In 2025, the Giants dropped a 21-6 decision to Washington after starting Russell Wilson over Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston at quarterback.
Daboll wasn’t the only former Giant making his Titans debut. Wan'Dale Robinson joined Tennessee to help Ward in the passing game and reunited with the coach who oversaw his most productive season, when he caught 92 passes for 1,014 yards. On Sunday, Ward looked his way six times and Robinson hauled in five catches, but the production only added up to 38 yards.
Daniel Bellinger also followed Daboll to Tennessee. The tight end was targeted once and finished with seven yards, backing up Gunnar Helm, who had 28 yards on four receptions.
Cornerback Cordale Flott, who appeared headed back to the Giants before Tennessee stepped in, was another ex-New York face in the mix. He had been one of the brighter spots on a shaky Giants secondary last season, but his Titans debut was rough along with the rest of the defense. Tennessee allowed 11.3 receiving yards per catch, and the whole unit looked out of sorts throughout the afternoon.
Former Giants center Austin Schlottmann started for Tennessee as well, and the offensive line had its own problems. Ward was sacked three times and hit five more.
One game into the season, the Titans’ collection of former Giants - and Jets too - hasn’t paid off at all. For anyone who watched those New York teams sputter through the Daboll years, Sunday’s result probably felt painfully predictable.
In Other News...
Giants Just Added Real Suspense To Malik Nabers Week 1 Status
The Giants made a roster move ahead of Week 1 by promoting wide receiver and special teams contributor Dalen Cambre from the practice squad to the 53-man roster before facing the Cowboys. It was the kind of depth-chart shuffle that usually slides by unnoticed, but this one landed with extra weight because it came amid lingering questions around Malik Nabers and the offenses opening-night plans.
Nabers has practiced fully and is not on the injury report, yet his status for Sunday still has not been made fully clear because New York has not announced its final lineup. For a Giants team trying to settle its pecking order before a division game, that leaves at least one of its most important offensive pieces in a bit of suspense right as the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Created New Week 1 Tension Around Malik Nabers
The Giants made a small but telling roster move ahead of Week 1, elevating wide receiver and special teams contributor Dalen Cambre from the practice squad to the 53-man roster before their matchup with the Cowboys. It is the kind of transaction that usually flies under the radar, but at this point in the calendar every promotion and depth-chart shuffle gets a closer look, especially when it comes this close to opening weekend.
What makes the move worth watching is the uncertainty still hovering around Malik Nabers. He has been a full participant in recent practices and does not carry an official injury designation, yet the Giants still have not said whether he will be active for the opener. The final answer will come before kickoff, but until then the team has left a little tension hanging over a game that already carries plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Caught A Huge Break Before Rams Matchup
The Giants will not have to deal with one of the leagues most disruptive pass rushers when they line up with the Rams, as Myles Garrett is undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery and has been placed on injured reserve. That moves him out for at least the next four games, which includes the upcoming meeting with New York, and it gives the Giants a little more room to breathe as they prepare for a defense that can still create problems in other ways.
Aaron Donalds status for that game is still unclear, which keeps plenty of attention on the Rams front even without Garrett in the picture. There is also the off-field uncertainty involving potential NFL discipline cases for Puka Nacua and Alaric Jackson, adding another layer of questions around a matchup that already looks different than it did a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]