The New York Jets’ Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans was driven by the kind of offensive and defensive performance that grabs all the headlines. That part was obvious.
What stood out just as much, though, was the third phase. Special teams has been one of the Jets’ biggest strengths, and after one week, it looks like that edge is still very much intact.
The Jets finished Week 1 atop the NFL in special teams EPA at +8.6, a strong start for a unit that had a historic 2025 season. The kicking game had its share of nervous moments, but it held together. Jason Sanders clanked a 54-yard field goal attempt badly, then settled in and made his other three tries, including kicks from 51 and 52 yards.
The real difference-makers were a pair of players who don’t usually dominate the spotlight: Qwan’tez Stiggers and Marcelino McCrary-Ball.
Stiggers was all over punt coverage. He pinned one punt at Tennessee’s two-yard line, and on another he helped wipe out a Titans return chance by driving D’Ernest Johnson into Chimere Dike, the All-Pro punt returner, before Dike could field the ball. That sequence cost Tennessee field position and gave the Jets a boost in hidden yardage.
McCrary-Ball delivered the biggest special teams play of the day. Late in the first half, he sprinted down on a Tennessee kickoff return and punched the ball loose. Stiggers was right there to recover the fumble.
Both players were seen as roster-bubble names over the summer, especially McCrary-Ball. Their defensive snaps may be limited, but Sunday showed exactly why they stuck: they can swing a game in a phase that often decides field position and momentum.
The Jets know special teams success is hard to keep year after year. A lot of the key contributors are end-of-roster players who don’t stay in one place long, and some of it comes down to plain old luck. There’s also less of a clear schematic edge there than on offense or defense, which makes sustained dominance tough.
Still, for one week at least, the Jets own the league’s best special teams unit.
In Other News...
Rex Ryan Just Framed The Aaron Glenn Debate Jets Fans Feel
Rex Ryan spent part of the postgame conversation doing what former Jets coaches so often do in this market: turning a win into a bigger evaluation of the people on the sideline. After the Jets beat the Titans 23-10, Ryan praised the coaching staff, including Aaron Glenn and Frank Reich, while also pointing to Geno Smiths play and the defenses active day with tackles for loss and sacks. It was the kind of performance that gives a coach credit beyond the final score, because the structure looked organized and the unit looked prepared.
For Jets fans, the more interesting part is how Ryan framed the discussion around Glenn. The praise landed in a moment when every strong defensive showing gets read as part of a larger debate about the staffs direction, especially with the franchise still sorting through what it wants to be. Ryan also took a jab at Robert Saleh afterward, adding another layer to a conversation that already has plenty of history attached to it. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Suddenly Have A New Target Decision After Rookie Setback
Omar Cooper Jr.s ankle sprain has forced the Jets to reshuffle their passing game plans early in the season, and the rookie receiver is now looking at a week-to-week recovery that should keep him out for roughly the next month. For a team still sorting out its receiving hierarchy, losing a young target so soon after the start of the year creates an immediate opening for other pass-catchers to step into bigger roles.
One of the most intriguing beneficiaries has been Kenyon Sadiq, who has already made a positive impression after spending training camp and the preseason on the sideline with a hernia. The tight ends early-season showing has given the Jets something useful to work with as they adjust around Coopers absence, and it may push more of the offense through Sadiq while the rookie wideout works his way back. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Suddenly Need More From A Veteran Receiver Than Expected
The Jets added a familiar, steady hand to the receiver room by signing Sterling Shepard to the practice squad, a move that comes as the roster keeps getting thinned out by injuries. At the same time, defensive back Jordan Clark was promoted to the active roster to help shore up the back end after Minkah Fitzpatrick and Omar Cooper Jr. went down, giving the team another body at a spot that needed one.
Shepards arrival also takes on a little more weight with Tim Patrick now on injured reserve because of a groin injury, leaving the Jets looking for dependable depth wherever they can find it. For a team already managing multiple absences, the next few weeks could determine how much it needs from Shepard and whether he becomes more than just a temporary insurance policy. [Read more 🡒]