NASHVILLE \u2014 There\u2019s no other way to put this: Aaron Glenn and the Jets absolutely, positively had to win this game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Glenn and the Jets, coming off a 3-14 season in 2025, simply could not endure a loss to the lowly Titans with their former head coach Robert Saleh \u2014 unceremoniously fired by owner Woody Johnson after just five games in 2024 \u2014 coaching Tennessee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They needed this win like oxygen, so they can now breathe for the next week and hopefully the rest of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Saleh was the elephant in the room all week as the Jets prepared for this game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the Jets will not have to endure the ignominy of losing to the coach who was fired to make room for Glenn because they took care of business and did so in rather thorough fashion, winning the season opener over the Titans 23-10 at Nissan Stadium in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the game, there was a huge sense of relief. Johnson stood at the locker room entrance high-fiving and hugging every player as he entered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jets running back Breece Hall (20) celebrates with tight end Jeremy Ruckert (89) after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. AP Photo\/John Amis<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier, Saleh and Johnson exchanged what had to be awkward pleasantries on the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of love and respect for him,\u201d Wilson said after the game. \u201cBut being the competitor I am, I wanted to beat them today, and I know he wanted the same. It feels good to come away with this one. I\u2019d be lying if I said I didn\u2019t want to win this game for that reason too \u2014 not because I don\u2019t love him, but because I do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Jets played this opener with a new quarterback (Geno Smith), a new offensive coordinator (Frank Reich) and a new role for Glenn (now calling defensive plays) and it all led to a welcome new result Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPretty good start,\u201d Glenn said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those were his first words when he walked from the locker room, which could be heard celebrating loudly, into the interview room, where he did what he could to be matter-of-fact and move on to the next game, next Sunday\u2019s home opener against the Packers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only one game,\u201d Glenn said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq (16) scores a touchdown after a catch against Tennessee Titans linebacker James Williams Sr. (52) during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday, September 13, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
Yes, but it was a season-opening win for a team that\u2019s been a perennial loser for a decade and a half, and it came against their former head coach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Jets controlled the Titans from the start.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The game featured Act II as a Jet for Smith, who was efficient (19-for-24 for 215 yards and no turnovers) and avoided the major mistakes that have often been his downfall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It also showed some great flashes from their rookie class, with tight end Kenyon Sadiq giving them a 7-0 lead with a 3-yard end-around to cap the first offensive possession of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jets quarterback Geno Smith passes the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday, September 13, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
For context, the Jets scored a touchdown on their first possession just once in 17 games last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr. set up the Sadiq touchdown with a dynamic 30-yard catch-and-run.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Jets offensive line pushed around the Titans defensive front, which is Saleh\u2019s specialty. The Jets rushed the ball 39 times to only 14 runs for the Titans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet the insider\u2019s view on Gang Green\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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Their lead back Breece Hall rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries and scored a third-quarter touchdown that gave the Jets a 17-3 lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smith made some big plays in the passing game when he needed them, connecting with Wilson for 31 yards and Adonai Mitchell for 40 on the drive that ended in Hall\u2019s touchdown run.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Defensively, the Jets suffocated the Titans, who had only 112 yards of total offense and six first downs entering the fourth quarter and reached the red zone only once, in garbage time with fewer than three minutes remaining.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh argues a call with back judge Brad Freeman during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. AP Photo\/George Walker IV<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to get a win,\u201d Glenn, channeling his Bill Parcells downplay-the-win mode, said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to flush this, correct the mistakes, and get ready for Green Bay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Jets were ready for this game thanks to Glenn\u2019s unwavering enthusiasm, and a tone was set by their success-starved fans, who traveled en masse, took over the streets of downtown Nashville on Saturday and were loud and proud inside Nissan Stadium on Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fans painted the bustling downtown city streets green with their Jets jerseys, leaving sounds of \u201cJ-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets\u201d chants echoing down Broadway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the end of the game, there were even \u201cAaron Glenn\u201d chants coming from the Jets fans in the road building.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These are, indeed, different times for the Jets \u2014 if only for Week 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NASHVILLE \u2014 There\u2019s no other way to put this: Aaron Glenn and the Jets absolutely, positively had to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1000087,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2061],"tags":[1585,487,7,1507,28626,255,6,6043,9,526,394,2411,527],"class_list":["post-1000086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennessee-titans","tag-aaron-glenn","tag-breece-hall","tag-football","tag-geno-smith","tag-kenyon-sadiq","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-robert-saleh","tag-sports","tag-tennessee","tag-tennessee-titans","tag-tennesseetitans","tag-titans"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117266350316280462","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1000086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1000087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1000086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1000086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1000086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}