Aaron Glenn wasted no time putting his stamp on the Jets defense.
In his first game handling the play-calling himself, the New York head coach guided his team to a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans, and the score barely flattered Tennessee. The Titans’ late touchdown from Cam Ward came with the game already out of reach, trimming what had been a 23-3 margin in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
For a Jets defense that never held an opponent under 13 points in any game last season, Week 1 was a sharp reset. Glenn’s group kept Tennessee to 10 points and held the Titans under 200 total yards, even with a late prevent-defense drive allowing an otherwise meaningless score. That was also the Titans’ only possession of the day that lasted longer than two minutes and 20 seconds.
The Jets also made life miserable up front. David Bailey, Kingsley Enagbare, and Will McDonald each logged a sack, and Tennessee didn’t even try to establish the run early. New York leaned on its advantage in the trenches, with Dan Moore Jr. and JC Latham having a rough afternoon against a defense that also managed to do its work without Joseph Ossai in the line rotation.
What makes the performance stand out even more is the way the Jets were piecing things together on the fly. Minkah Fitzpatrick exited early with an injury, starting nickel and former Titan Jarvis Brownlee Jr. also left, and Dane Belton slid into nickel snaps while Braiden McGregor - who was described as having his best game as a pro - got work in the pass-rush mix. None of it seemed to slow Glenn down.
The early showing also fit the reputation Glenn built in Detroit, where his defenses were well regarded even if the numbers never made him look like an elite coordinator. He earned praise for getting solid production out of imperfect rosters, including units that had to make do without a true second pass rusher beyond Aidan Hutchinson and, at times, by bringing in cornerbacks off the street. The Jets appear to give him a stronger talent base.
And it wasn’t just Glenn who looked comfortable. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich, a hire that had drawn plenty of skepticism, delivered a sharp Week 1 performance of his own. Backed by a solid offensive line, he got efficient play from Geno Smith and a dominant run game.
If the Jets are going to build something under Glenn, this is the kind of blueprint they can live with.
In Other News...
Jets Receiver Depth Suddenly Looks Like A Real Week 2 Problem
Omar Cooper Jr.s season opener ended with more than just the usual rookie turbulence. The Jets wide receiver was forced out with a high ankle sprain, and the next round of testing will determine just how serious the injury is and how long he might be sidelined. For a team already trying to settle its passing-game depth early in the year, the timing could hardly be worse.
The injury leaves New York with only four healthy receivers on the active roster, which immediately puts the position under a brighter spotlight heading into Week 2. The Jets do have two wideouts on the practice squad, but the situation has already opened the door to roster maneuvering and the possibility of adding a veteran free agent if the team decides it needs more help on the perimeter. [Read more 🡒]
Frank Reich Gave Jets Fans A Week 1 Debate They Wanted
Frank Reichs first game steering the Jets offense gave the fan base plenty to chew on, and not just because the numbers looked clean on the final sheet. Even with rookie Omar Cooper Jr. going down early, the unit kept moving behind Geno Smith, piling up 367 yards and stringing together five scoring drives while Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell each found ways to shape the night.
For a team that has spent plenty of time searching for an identity on offense, the question now is how much of this outing was a true sign of progress and how much came against a defense that was not exactly built to scare anyone. The Jets won comfortably, but Reich still managed to leave fans with the kind of Week 1 argument they always want: whether this was the start of something real or just a promising snapshot against the wrong opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Controversial Kicker Decision Suddenly Looks A Lot Different
The Jets kicking situation looked unsettled all summer after they let Nick Folk walk in free agency and cycled through options before settling on Jason Sanders for Week 1. Folk ended up with Atlanta, while Sanders handled the job in New Yorks opener and helped steady things in a win by making three of four field-goal attempts, giving the Jets at least an immediate answer after a messy search.
Folks debut with the Falcons, meanwhile, did not go the way either side would have hoped. He missed two field goals, a reminder that even a proven kicker can suddenly look vulnerable, especially as age starts to become part of the conversation at the position. For the Jets, the early returns make the decision feel a lot different now than it did when Folk first left. [Read more 🡒]