Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Randy Lange, Jack Bell and Amanda Vogt will give their responses to a series of questions regarding the Jets.
Today's question: What's the most important matchup in the Jets-Titans Week 1 contest?
EA: While there are several intriguing matchups, I don't know if any are as important as the Jets O-line vs. the Titans D-line. This is a formidable Tennessee defensive front with DT Jeffery Simmons, a first-team All-Pro last season, the centerpiece joined by several former Jets. The Jets' interior trio of C Josh Myers, LG Dylan Parham and RG Joe Tippmann will battle with Simmons, Solomon Thomas and John Franklin-Myers when he shifts inside. The Jets' bookend tackles -- LT Olu Fashanu and RT Armand Membou -- have the potential to be one of the best tackle pairs in football. They'll match up with former Jets' Jermaine Johnson II, JFM and Jacob Martin. If the Jets win at the line of scrimmage, they should have success on the ground and through the air. QB Geno Smith has a lot of skill position options, and the Jets have quality players beyond RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson. The Jets' offense has the ability to be a lot more explosive this season and that starts Sunday in Nashville. For the fireworks to happen, the O-line must do some furniture moving.
RL: I'm paying extra attention to the Jets' offense vs. the Titans' defense. The Jets have some very shiny pieces on their offense. Geno Smith has become a professional QB, especially in 2022-24 in Seattle. OC Frank Reich has gained a well-earned reputation as an offense whisperer and the two have taken charge of the unit. Smith is surrounded by high hopes at each position. The RB "three-headed monster" led by Breece Hall begins the season healthy enough to come firing out of the gate. WR Garrett Wilson's time on the field with Adonai Mitchell has been limited to 19 plays this preseason. They could be explosive along with TE Mason Taylor. And then the passing game welcomes rookie first-rounders Omar Cooper Jr. at WR and TE Kenyon Sadiq, who was sidelined by injury all preseason but should be ready to play in the opener. How long will it take for all these promising players to mesh? And can Geno stay out of the grasp of former Jets edge Jermaine Johnson II and take advantage of the Titans' D, which struggled all last season but has gained the influence of defensive-minded HC Robert Saleh? Questions, questions. And some answers will be forthcoming Sunday afternoon.
AV: We've made it to the regular season folks. Now it gets real! On the road against the Titans, establishing a strong run defense will be pivotal from the get-go. Last season, when defending the run against a stacked box (when there are more defenders than blockers in the box), the Jets led the league by allowing just a 30.8% success rate. Tennessee struggled rushing against stacked boxes with the sixth-lowest success rate (34.6%) in the NFL. With the addition of DT T'Vondre Sweat, who was traded from the Titans to the Jets for Jermaine Johnson II, the Jets' run defense will be fun to watch. Sweat's size allows him to pick up two gaps, which helps the rest of the line. How Tennessee manages to run the ball against the Jets, who added size this offseason, will be interesting to see. Their RB, Tony Pollard, has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last five seasons. Pollard started his NFL career in 2019 with the Dallas Cowboys and has been on the Titans since 2024.
JB: The Jets' secondary against the Titans passing attack. Tennessee QB Cam Ward, the No. 1 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, has a full 17-game regular season under his belt in which he passed for 3,169 yards and completed 59.8% of his throws for 15 TD, with a stingy 7 INTs. That's really not bad for a rookie playing for a team that finished with a 3-14 record at the bottom of the AFC South. Now, in addition to veteran WR Calvin Ridley, the Titans have bulked up at the position with the drafting of Ohio State's Carnell Tate, No. 4 overall in April, and the signing of slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson in free agency from the Giants. The Jets' defensive backfield, however, has done some bulking up of its own. Minkah Fitzpatrick, acquired in a trade from Miami, and Dane Belton, signed in free agency from the Giants, were added at safety to complement second-year player Malachi Moore and Andre Cisco, who missed the back half of last season with a pectoral injury. At cornerback, Brandon Stephens has locked down one spot while second-year player Azareye'h Thomas and Nahshon Wright, who led the league last season with 8 total takeaways, are options across the way. Jarvis Brownlee Jr., whom the Jets acquired from the Titans last season, is likely to start in the slot while rookie D'Angelo Ponds works his way back from a calf injury that limited him in training camp.
