The Jets didn’t just beat the Titans in Week 1. They controlled the game from the first snap to the last, and the offensive line was the reason it all looked so easy.
New York rolled to a 23-10 win and finished with 367 total yards, 152 rushing yards and a huge 38:46 edge in time of possession. That’s the kind of stat line that tells you a team wasn’t chasing the game - it was dictating it. The Jets kept Tennessee on its heels in the run game and never let pressure become a real problem for Geno Smith.
Smith made that point after the game, praising the line and saying he believed he wasn’t touched all game, per The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt. His numbers backed up the feeling. Smith went 19-of-24 for 215 yards, with an NFL-best 11.5 big-time throw percentage and zero turnover-worthy plays.
The ground game had plenty of room to breathe, too. Breece Hall ran for 102 yards, while Braelon Allen added 40. The Jets kept staying on schedule, kept creating space, and kept Tennessee from getting any kind of momentum up front.
That’s where the real buzz starts. The tackle pairing of Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou looks like the best New York has had in a while. Joe Tippmann stands out as another piece to build around, and Josh Myers along with newcomer Dylan Parham held up well on the interior.
The Titans’ defense is not exactly the standard-bearer for the league, but this front still featured Jeffery Simmons and John Franklin-Myers. Both were in the lineup, and both were basically erased from the game.
The Jets want to be a physical team, and Week 1 showed exactly what that can look like when the offensive line is rolling. Plenty of people don’t expect much from New York this season, and maybe that suits the Jets just fine. They can keep building quietly and let the results speak.
If this line plays anywhere near this level over the long haul, the Jets become a much tougher team to handle. Ball control, a steady run game and an offense that stays ahead of the sticks can make life miserable for anybody. There are 16 games left, and a lot can still change, but what New York put on tape against Tennessee was hard to ignore.
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 🡒]