NASHVILLE — Geno Smith waited 3,612 days for another start in a Jets uniform.
He made it worth the wait.
Smith completed 19 of 24 passes for 215 yards, providing the steady hand the Jets (1-0) envisioned in a dominant 23-10 season-opening victory over the Tennessee Titans (0-1) at Nissan Stadium.
The win was so emphatic that Gang Green fans chanted “J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets” throughout the stadium after touchdowns and during the fourth quarter.
“I expect that from him,” Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said about Smith. “He’s a damn good player, and there’s a reason why he’s here.
“He has been through so much, and he understands that. But he still has some ways to go and has to get better at a few things. He’s going to fight and look at that tape and make sure to look at every mistake that he made, make sure he corrects them because that’s the type of man he is.”
After a cautious first half in which Smith passed for just 90 yards, the Jets opened up the passing game after halftime. That helped set up a Breece Hall touchdown run.
Smith, who led the NFL in interceptions last season, was decisive and careful with the football. The Jets’ offensive line also gave him enough time in the pocket to find open receivers.
The victory doused any potential revenge Robert Saleh wanted against his old team. Saleh coached Gang Green for four seasons before Jets owner Woody Johnson fired him five games into the 2024 season following a 2-3 start. He was hired as the Titans’ coach during the offseason.
Shortly before kickoff, Saleh stood at the 50-yard line and watched the Jets warm up. He later embraced Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson and spoke with Hall before returning to his sideline.
“I’ve got a lot of love and respect for him,” Wilson said about Saleh. “He’s a great coach. So, at the end of the day, their time is coming, but being a competitor, yeah, I wanted to beat them, and they were returning the favor.
“We were talking out on the field, and it’s all fun and all, but it feels good to come back with this one.”
Hall was another catalyst for the Jets’ offense, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in his first game since injuring his groin on Aug. 17.
Hall missed the final two preseason games but practiced fully leading up to Sunday’s opener. He looked very much like the player who recorded his first 1,000-yard season last year.
The Jets finished with 152 rushing yards against the Titans, highlighted by a 19-play drive on which they ran the ball 15 times.
“Our O-line, we ran the ball a lot, but they relied heavily on me and Braelon today,” Hall said. “I think we beat them up front, and they got tired.
“That drive was one of the defining drives of the game.”
The Jets got off to a fast start. They received the ball at their own 40-yard line after Joey Slye’s opening kickoff sailed out of bounds. Given the short field, the offense took advantage and quickly got on the board.
Omar Cooper Jr.’s 30-yard reception from Smith moved the ball to the Titans’ 4-yard line. Two plays later, fellow rookie Kenyon Sadiq scored on a 3-yard end-around to give the Jets an early 7-0 lead.
According to ESPN, it was the first time since 2016 that the Jets scored a touchdown on their opening possession of the season.
“I thought that was great,” Smith said. “We came out and executed on that first drive and put seven points on the board.
“It’s something that we talk about all the time. You wanna start fast, and today, we started fast. Obviously, we kept our foot on the gas and tried to stay even-keeled throughout.”
Sadiq missed all but three training camp practices after suffering a setback in his recovery from offseason hernia surgery. He did not play during the preseason but was cleared ahead of the opener despite the time he missed.
Sadiq became the first Jets first-round pick to score a touchdown in his debut since Richard Todd in 1976.
After deferring those responsibilities during his first season as head coach, Glenn took over the defensive play-calling duties he has called his “superpower.” It certainly looked like one against the Titans.
Quarterback Cam Ward was dreadful, completing just 19 of 32 passes for 140 yards and a late fourth-quarter touchdown to Elic Ayomanor. With Glenn overseeing the play-calling, the Jets’ defense was more aggressive and registered three sacks. The approach mirrored Glenn’s tenure as the Lions’ defensive coordinator from 2021-24.
Unlike last season, when the Jets rarely blitzed, Glenn sent pressure several times. On one play, cornerback Azareye’h Thomas blitzed and forced an incompletion.
Glenn and offensive coordinator Frank Reich also made offensive adjustments, allowing Smith to open up the passing game in the second half. Smith completed a 31-yard pass to Wilson, followed by a 41-yard completion to Adonai Mitchell. Those plays set up Hall’s 4-yard touchdown run, which extended the Jets’ lead to 17-3.
“It is something that I missed doing,” Glenn said about calling plays. “This is a collective effort.
“I think everybody, the whole staff, did an outstanding job with each situation. Everybody needs to be the head coach of those situations. We have so many things we need to clean up, but this is a good start for us.”
After being named the kicker for Week 1 on Friday, Jason Sanders got off to a dreadful start, badly missing his first field-goal attempt from 54 yards. But he redeemed himself by converting attempts from 51 and 52 yards.
Injuries hit the Jets’ defense during the second half. They lost Minkah Fitzpatrick to a groin injury.
Jarvis Brownlee Jr. also injured his leg, forcing the Jets to employ a three-safety look, with Malachi Moore joining Andre Cisco and Dane Belton. Brownlee later returned to the game.
The Jets will return to the field next Sunday for their Week 2 home opener against the Packers. It will be their only home game during the first month of the season.
