There's a defensive sequence that didn't get enough attention in the Jets' 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. It wasn't a flashy stretch of plays, but it was a glimpse into the mentality head coach Aaron Glenn wants his players to exude.
How long were the Jets willing to compete? Where did the team's competitive stamina stand? Well, the answer lies within the drive that forced the Titans to punt to start the second half.
"It's easy to do it in the first quarter, but once you start getting in the third and fourth quarters, that tells the story," Glenn said.
Going into halftime, the Jets weren't content with a 10-3 lead. Penalties derailed the Green & White's offensive push with just over a minute to play before the break. The Jets didn't put up any points; Tennessee was receiving the ball out of the break – it was still only a one-score game.
"I knew it was going to be a dogfight," Glenn said.
The Titans, who were held to 32 yards of passing offense in the first half, started on their own 35-yard line and attacked the Jets with three straight Cam Ward completions: A short 5-yard toss to WR Carnell Tate, a 9-yard pickup by WR Wan'Dale Robinson and another look to Tate on the sideline for 7 more yards.
Tennessee went no-huddle and was in Jets territory after Tate was pushed out of bounds by CB Azareye'h Thomas. The Titans faced second-and-3, Ward was in the shotgun, and RB Tony Pollard was positioned next to him.
The Jets consistently pressed Ward throughout the game, either forcing him to scramble or get rid of the ball quickly. In this situation, Robinson and WR Elic Ayomanor ran deeper routes, but Ward threw short to Pollard behind the line of scrimmage. Thomas read the play well and was able to stop Pollard for a loss of one yard.
"We know that sometimes momentum can take place when it can go bad or good," Glenn said on Monday. "We talk about creating our own momentum all the time and coming back in the second half and the defense being able to get a stop, that's a big part of creating our momentum."
On third-and-4, Ward threw the ball 2.2 seconds after the ball was snapped down the right sideline, targeting Ayomanor. Thomas was there to push him out of bounds and Titans' progress was halted.
The Jets had the stop and prevented the momentum shift as the Titans' punting unit appeared for third time at that point in the game. Overall, Tennessee punted seven times and went 4-of-12 on third down while totaling 195 yards.
"I'm just happy that our guys understand that part of the game," Glenn said. "They're really buying into being able to do that, even in practice, of man, how do we create our own momentum and how do we continue to make these plays to make sure that we continue to go this way as far as getting our guys going."
This stop kept the momentum on the Jets' side – the offense followed it up with a TD drive to extend the lead. Turnovers and sacks can be obvious game-changing plays that stand on their own, but this drive showcased how Glenn wants the Jets to play.
