Jets Week 1 Reaction: Gentlemen, we don’t suck!

Rejoice! The New York J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets! are 1-0 for only the third time in the last 10 seasons.

The Jets looked like a competent football team on Sunday. They handled the Titans in a 23-10 win that was not as close as the score. They opened the game with a touchdown drive, led by seven at the half, and scored on their first possession of the second half, with Breece Hall strolling into the end zone. The Jets basically sat on the football for the rest of the game. The Titans only got a pity touchdown with 2:42 left.

The Jets outgained Tennessee 367–195 and held the ball for 38:46. Geno Smith was a very efficient 19-of-24 for 215 yards, and Breece had 102 rushing yards on 22 carries with a touchdown. I thought the offensive play-calling was solid and, at times, creative, like Kenyon Sadiq's tight end end-around for a touchdown. The defensive play-calling clearly did its job. I'll give credit to Aaron Glenn and Frank Reich, two guys I have expressed doubt in before. This is the kind of boring but dominant victory the Jets' opponents typically get against them.

Look, I am not going to try to draw too many conclusions from this game. The Titans looked really bad on offense. Aside from a nice opening drive and a meaningless closing drive, they barely moved the ball down the field. Cam Ward did a good job scrambling and evading pressure. The Jets only managed three sacks despite putting him under constant duress, but he didn't turn those escapes into much offense beyond that opening drive. The Jets' secondary, which was missing Minkah Fitzpatrick for most of the game, seemed to cover the Titans' below-average receiving corps well. And when they were open, Ward was not always on target.

The Jets weren't perfect, either. They had a few drives derailed by unforced penalties, including one where a Braelon Allen touchdown was taken off the board—a Jets special—and they had to settle for a field goal. They also botched the end of the first half with poor clock management and penalties. Those mistakes can be the difference when you play a team that is at or above your level. But against the Titans, the Jets were able to overcome the mistakes, put together a few solid drives, and hold Tennessee to only two more points (10) than Robert Saleh has kids (eight).

Some fun factoids from the game:

• The Jets scored a TD on their first offensive possession of a season for the first time since 2016.
• The Jets led for almost 56 minutes, taking the lead with 10:45 left in the first quarter and never giving it back.
• The Jets and Giants are both 1-0 for the first time since 2009, back when the Jets went to the AFC Championship Game.

Let somebody else tank

For the Jets fans who would rather see the team tank, I have great news for you. The Colts and the Cowboys are already doing it for us. The Jets own the Colts' 2027 first-round draft pick outright.

I had Colts-Ravens on my YouTube TV four-box for the first half. Aside from an opening-drive touchdown, all I saw when I glanced over were Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Zay Flowers roaming the plains against the Colts' defense. The game was such a laugher that I had to take it off one of the six screen slots I had devoted to the 1 p.m. games.

The Jets also own the earlier of the Cowboys' and Packers' 2027 first-round picks. Both teams lost. The Cowboys got absolutely bullied by the new-look Giants on Sunday night in a game that was not as close as the 28-20 final score.

The Packers somehow dropped a game to the Carson Wentz-led Vikings after what I thought was a cheap shot knocked starter Kyler Murray out of the game. That game was influenced by some shaky officiating, in my view, and was way closer than the final score.

I can understand Packers fans being furious about Matt LaFleur's taboo coaching decision to take points off the board. With Green Bay leading 22-17 early in the fourth, a made field goal would have put them up 25-17. Instead, LaFleur accepted an offsides penalty and went for fourth-and-1. Jordan Love's sneak came up short.

The Vikings took the ball and, with a few assists from the zebras—including a defensive holding call that wiped out a Wentz interception, went up 25-22. They never looked back, winning 39-22.

I think the Cowboys will likely have the earlier draft pick, as their defense looks to have serious issues and the Packers' loss appeared to be a bit more fluky. But the Jets have a nice opportunity to help push Green Bay's pick earlier by beating them this coming week in the home opener at MetLife. Game preview to come.

A few injury concerns

Unfortunately, not everything went the Jets' way Sunday. Omar Cooper Jr., who had a great play on the opening drive, spinning and juking past defenders for a 30-yard gain that set up a Jets touchdown], left with an ankle injury. Tom Pelissero reported it was a suspected high ankle sprain, with negative X-rays and an MRI planned for Monday.

Minkah Fitzpatrick also left early with a groin injury. As of Monday afternoon's update, Glenn had no further information on either player, so their return timetables were still unclear. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. left with a calf injury but returned. But overall, the Jets' Week 1 game was a success.

Final Words

Look, does this mean the Jets will go 11-6 as I boldly predicted in my season preview and schedule breakdown? No, the jury is still out. It's only Week 1. But there is one thing I can confidently say about my Jets, and I said it in my family group chat:

"Gentleman, we don’t suck!"