Jets make easy work of Robert Saleh’s Titans in Geno Smith’s triumphant start to second act
NASHVILLE — New quarterback, new coordinators and a new role for the head coach led to a welcome new result for the Jets.
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It was a rare stellar day for what is a very different 2026 team from the one that went 3-14 in 2025 under head coach Aaron Glenn.
The Jets controlled the Titans from the start in the season opener at Nissan Stadium, laying a 23-10 loss on their former head coach, Robert Saleh, now the coach of the Titans.
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The game featured Act II as a Jet for quarterback Geno Smith, who was efficient (19-for-24 for 215 yards and no turnovers) and avoided the major mistakes that have often been his downfall.
The win also averted any revenge for Saleh, who was stunned by his unceremonious firing after five games in 2024 and desperately wanted this victory.
About 30 minutes before the game during warmups, Saleh stood with his arms folded at the 50-yard line for about six minutes fixated on the Jets offensive warmups while his own team warmed up on the other side of the field.
Jets receiver Garrett Wilson was the first to run up to Saleh and shake his hand. Running back Breece Hall followed a couple minutes later.
Earlier, Saleh and Jets owner Woody Johnson, who fired him, exchanged what had to be awkward pleasantries on the field.
Then the game began and, after a scratchy first half in which the Jets kept the Titans in the game, the Jets had their way with Saleh’s team.
Saleh’s offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, fired by the Giants as their head coach last season, didn’t fare well, either.
The Titans struggled mightily on offense with their quarterback, Cam Ward, the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick, never finding a rhythm against the Jets defense, which is being called by Glenn this year.
The Titans had a mere 112 yards of total offense through the first three quarters.
This brings us to Glenn, who’s in a prove-it season after too many missteps in 2025. He had a strong opener Sunday across the board, and was helped by his new offensive coordinator, Frank Reich.
Reich also had a strong day as the Jets were able to showcase their much-improved offense, led by Smith, returning running backs Hall and Braelon Allen, receivers Wilson and Adonai Mitchell and — perhaps most importantly — an offensive line that looks like a team strength.
The Jets also debuted rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who scored their first touchdown of the season, and rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who had a dynamic 30-yard catch-and-run that set up the Sadiq TD.
Though the Jets took a 10-3 lead into halftime, the disturbing theme of the first 30 minutes for them was their inability to punish the Titans when they had multiple chances to do so.
They kept the Titans in a game they were controlling.
The Jets worst sin of all was not converting any points out of a forced fumble by linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball on Titans kickoff returner Chimere Dike that was recovered by Qwan’tez Stiggers at the Tennessee 38-yard line with 4:55 remaining in the half.
The ensuing Jets drive began with a 3-yard run by Hall and an 8-yard loss on a pass by Smith to Mason Taylor that should never have been thrown. The drive ended with a 54-yard field goal attempt by Jason Sanders that didn’t get 10 yards of airtime, falling 20 yards short and wide left.
Moments before that inexcusable sequence, the Jets offense had the Tennessee defense on the ropes in the 93-degree heat, grinding out a 19-play drive that ate 11:48 off the clock with 15 runs.
The Jets, however, stalled in the red zone after converting two fourth-down plays and they had to settle for a 33-yard Sanders field goal for a 10-3 lead.
On those two series alone, the Jets squandered at least 10 points and kept the Titans well in the game at the intermission.
The day began well for the Jets, though.
They took a 7-0 lead on a 3-yard end-around run by Sadiq, capping the Jets opening offensive series of the season 4:15 into the game.
That came at the end of an eight-play, 60-yard drive that included a dynamic 30-yard catch-and-run by Cooper on a third-and-9 play. That put the Jets on the Tennessee 4-yard line and set up the Sadiq score.
Cooper was lost for the game a short time later to an ankle injury.
The Titans cut the lead to 7-3 with a 42-yard field goal on their first offensive series.
That, however, is as close as Tennessee got.
The Jets took a 17-3 lead on a 4-yard Hall scoring run with 9:41 remaining in the third quarter. That came after Smith connected with Wilson for 31 yards and Mitchell for 40 on the drive.
They made it 20-3 on a 51-yard field goal by Sanders, who redeemed himself after the duck he’d hit in the first half.
Sanders followed that with a 52-yard field goal to make it 23-3 with five minutes remaining.
With those two 50-plus-yard field goals, the Jets also seemed to have solved their uncertain kicking issues. It was that kind of day for them.
The only thing the Jets left on the table and didn’t do on this successful day was make an interception — something they haven’t done since the 2024 season. But that’s mere nitpicking.
The Jets were ready for this game thanks to Glenn’s unwavering enthusiasm, and a tone was set by their success-starved fans, who traveled en masse and took over the streets of downtown Nashville on Saturday.
They painted the bustling downtown city streets green with their Jets jerseys, leaving sounds of “J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets’’ chants echoing down Broadway.
At the end of the game, there were even “Aaron Glenn’’ chants coming from the Jets fans in the building.
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Indeed different times for the Jets … at least through Week 1.
