For months, the focus was on what the Jets would look like when it was time to face the Titans in Week 1 of the NFL season. After a 23-10 season-opening victory, the Green & White provided some answers.
Here's three takeaways from the road win.
The Leading Receiver
Garrett Wilson hasn't shied away about his excitement with the offensive system OC Frank Reich installed this offseason and against the Titans, he was the Green & White's leading receiver.
QB Geno Smith targeted Wilson 7 times and the wide out made 6 receptions for 79 yards. On the opening -drive, Wilson didn't have a reception but helped the Jets move up the field when the defender assigned to him was called for pass interference on Smith's first passing attempt of the game.
The drive resulted in a TD, which Wilson said there was "no doubt" it was a statement drive for the unit.
"That's a good drive where we left some plays on the field and still found a way to convert on third down," Wilson said postgame. "At the end of the day when you start a game like that and get off on the right foot, you'll be in a good spot."
One of the flashiest offensive plays of the afternoon was a deep 31-yard pickup down the right sideline in the third quarter.
"That's a huge part of who we are as a team," head coach Aaron Glenn said. "We feel like when we do our study, there's things that allow you to win games and that's one of them is explosive plays."
In 2025, Wilson, who missed half of the season with a knee injury, had 395 yards in 7 games. After just Week 1, he's already recorded 20% of that yardage total.
A Game of Firsts
Three members of the Jets' 2026 NFL Draft class left Tennessee with moments to remember after earning their first professional football action.
Although he missed most of training camp, TE Kenyon Sadiq fit smoothly into the offensive game plan from the get-go. He capped the Jets' opening drive with a 3-yard end around TD run for the first score of his NFL career.
"It was just surreal," Sadiq said. "We had a good look, and Mason [Taylor] and Jeremy [Ruckert] both made great blocks. They made my job easy."
Sadiq also had 3 receptions for 21 yards.
WR Omar Cooper Jr. left the game early with an ankle injury but had a pivotal catch on the opening drive. It was third-and-9 from the Tennessee 34-yard line, and Smith found Cooper just 4 yards up the field.
One of Cooper's strongest assets is his ability to earn yards after the catch and on that play, he spun around multiple defenders up the left sideline for an extra 26 to a 30-yard gain. Two plays later, Sadiq made it to the end zone.
"I've seen them for the last few months, you know I kind of have an idea of what they're capable of," Wilson said. "Obviously you get out on Sunday and it's a little bit different and all of a sudden, you have to tackle Omar and he proved that's hard to do. So, it's fun to watch and I'm just happy for them getting their feet wet and getting that confidence because they both deserve it."
Edge David Bailey recorded his first sack of his NFL career. He got to Titans QB Cam Ward in the third quarter forcing a 1-yard loss, and Tennessee had to punt.
"He's the second pick of the draft and we all understand that and you have high expectations of this young man, but we're not going to put him on that boar," defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said last week. "We're going to let him do the things that he does well and put him in a position to be successful and have people around him. He's got 10 other guys that's going to help him do that."
Pivotal Protection
There's plenty the Jets offensive line wants to clean up before the home- opener against the Packers in Week 2, but they provided QB Geno Smith with pivotal protection against the Titans.
"I don't think I got touched at all out there, and that's always a great sign," Smith said.
The Jets recorded 152 rushing yards (102 of which came from RB Breece Hall) and on a 19-play first-half drive, 15 of which were rushing plays.
"It was hot out there and 19 plays, I think that's the highest I've ever done, so still regardless, it's a good feeling to get out there and be able to do that," RG Joe Tippmann said. "For me, it's a personal record, so I'm excited about it. Wish we could have capped it off with a touchdown but still proud of the guys and the way we attacked this game."
The drive took 11:48 off the clock and was the longest Jets drive since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
Because of the offensive line protection, the Jets' ability to control the clock helped limit the opportunities for the Titans to sustain momentum.
"The offensive line has to be the strength of every team," Hall said. "It was cool for the coaches to rely on them heavily in the run game, it made my job easier, Braelon [Allen's] job easier, we were very successful for sure."
