The New York Jets had to win that game, and they didn’t just win it. They flat out dominated their former head coach Robert Saleh and the Tennessee Titans. What a great afternoon for the Jets, who looked like a team firing on all cylinders in a game with massive early-season implications. We saw a team out there that looked great in all aspects of the game, and it was certainly fun to watch.

The Jets haven’t started a season 1-0 since 2023, but obviously that opener left a sour taste with the Rodgers injury. This Titans game finally feels like the first time where the Jets have won in all aspects of a season opener.

Here are my five biggest reasons why that was the case. 

The offensive line set the tone

Look, it starts up front, and the Jets’ offensive line was absolutely phenomenal. New York rushed for 159 yards on the day, and quarterback Geno Smith stayed clean for pretty much the entire afternoon. The line was getting a great push at the point of attack. Overall the Jets accounted for 369 yards on the day and it’s due to these guys. 

Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou were excellent at tackle, allowing Smith to keep some plays alive. The run game is where the interior really shined. Dylan Parham, Joe Tippmann and Josh Myers were moving guys left and right throughout the entirety of the game. Heck, it allowed for the Jets to have a drive that spanned nearly 12 minutes of game time.

When your offensive line is performing like that, everything else falls into place. It showed in all areas of the box score. The biggest stat to me though: 38:46 to 21:14 time of possession in favor of the Jets.

Defensive line had Cam Ward running all day

On the other side of the ball, the defensive line was just as dominant. It seemed like Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward was under pressure for most of the day. The Jets racked up 3 sacks, with David Bailey, Will McDonald and Kingsley Enagbare each getting one. In fact, some were left on the table due to a lot of throwaways from Ward.

Ward did create opportunities with his legs at points, especially early in the game, but the coverage in the back-end help up well when he was able to escape. Ward only completed 19 of 32 passes on the day and much of that was due to the constant pressure. 

The Jets defense did give up a late touchdown to Titans WR Elic Ayomanor, but make no mistake, they controlled the game from start to finish. And honestly, a lot of that can be due to the offense keeping them off the field as well. 

All this to say the least, the Jets dominated the Titans in the trenches today.

Geno Smith and Frank Reich make it happen

Now, if you look at Geno Smith’s box score, it’s not going to be the prettiest looking stat line without a touchdown there. But I think he played a really efficient, smart football game. Smith went 19-of-24 for over 200 yards with a passer rating over 100. He made the right decisions with the football, found the right guys, and didn’t put the ball in danger. 

Obviously this goes back to the offensive line stepping up, but I also saw a lot of really well-schemed plays by OC Frank Reich. Reich was able to use a lot of clearout routes and crossers to break Robert Saleh’s coverage schemes down. Smith was left with plenty of easy reads and he did an excellent job of finding them. 

If Geno can continue to keep the ball out of harm’s way and get it to his playmakers, this Jets offense can really take that next step. 

Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson do what they do

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson led the team in receiving, and A.D. Mitchell played solid as well. Wilson was taking advantage of voids in that Saleh zone coverage and making Tennessee pay all afternoon. Sometimes he can tend to do a bit too much with the ball in his hands, but overall he played very well. 

We’ve been saying for years how he just needs a quarterback, and while Geno Smith might not be all-world, the two definitely showed great chemistry today. 

And then there’s Breece Hall, who rushed for over 100 yards. Braelon Allen was productive too. Both backs were working behind that dominant offensive line, breaking tackles, and doing what they do best. When you can run the ball like that and control the clock, you take a ton of pressure off your quarterback. 

I also loved Breece’s vision, per usual, as he was able to hit most of these designed runs in the places that they’re intended to go. Hall also had a couple of receptions as well to continue showing his versatile skillset. 

What’s next for the Jets

Obviously, it’s not an easy road ahead for the Jets. They host the Green Bay Packers next week at MetLife Stadium, and that’s going to be a much tougher test. Then the Jets are awarded with another pair of NFC North opponents after that in the Lions and Bears. 

But when you look at the schedule and think about all the implications tied to this game, it was one New York absolutely had to have. The Jets made sure to get it by dominating the Titans all entire afternoon, and that’s a big deal for a team trying to prove it belongs in the conversation this season.

Or, at the very least, take the next step into being consistently competitive.