The Jets Beat Saleh’s Titans and Never Trailed

The New York Jets beat the Tennessee Titans 23-10 on Sunday, Sept. 13, at Nissan Stadium and never trailed. Robert Saleh’s first game as Titans coach was against the club that fired him in 2024, and Aaron Glenn’s defense plus Frank Reich’s offense ran the building down to scattered boos.

Geno Smith went 19-of-24 for 215 yards in his first Jets start since 2016. Breece Hall ran for 102 yards and a score, and New York held the ball for 38 minutes and 46 seconds on the Jets’ Week 1 gameday board.

The Jets Held the Ball for 38 Minutes and 46 Seconds

Reich’s first Sunday calling New York’s plays looked like a decision to keep lining up and running. Hall carried 22 times for 102 yards and a 4-yard touchdown, Braelon Allen added 40 yards on 10 carries, and the two backs piled up 142 yards on 32 rushes while Smith took six carries for 7 yards and Kenyon Sadiq scored from 3.

New York outgained Tennessee 367-195, ran for 152 yards to 68, and converted both of its fourth-down tries. The Titans did not attempt one. Smith was not sacked, after a 2025 season in which he led the league with 17 interceptions and took a league-high 55 sacks, and he said he did not think he got touched at all, which he called a great sign.

NFL Next Gen Stats had the Jets running from under center on 69.4 percent of called runs, 25 of 36 for 115 yards and both rushing scores, the highest under-center rate of Glenn’s tenure. Hall took 17 of those for 85 yards and three runs of 10-plus, tying a career high.

TEAM STATS AT NISSAN STADIUM

Those figures sit in the league’s official box score and game book, and they explain why Tennessee’s pass rush never got home. Saleh, who called the Titans’ defense, said New York was not ripping explosives so much as leaning for three, four, and five yards a pop, and he gave Reich credit for sticking with the run.

Two Rushing Touchdowns and Three Sanders Field Goals

The Jets scored on their opening drive and added points on a 19-play grind that ate 11:48 of the second quarter. That march started with 10 straight runs, finished with 15 rushes on 19 plays, covered 74 yards, and ended in a 33-yard kick. Allen called it a point in the game where they were able to establish the run.

Jason Sanders, elevated from the practice squad after Blake Grupe was deactivated, yanked a 54-yard try short and left, then made kicks from 33, 51, and 52 yards. Glenn said the penalties, eight for 48 yards, including a holding that wiped a touchdown run, and a failed chance with 32 seconds left in the half and the ball at midfield, still need cleaning up. He also called it a pretty good start.

THE SCORING IN NASHVILLE

1. 10:45, first quarter: Kenyon Sadiq 3-yard run (Sanders kick), 8 plays, 60 yards, 4:15, Jets 7-0.
2. 5:03, first quarter: Joey Slye 42-yard field goal, 12 plays, 41 yards, 5:42, Jets 7-3.
3. 5:03, second quarter: Jason Sanders 33-yard field goal, 19 plays, 74 yards, 11:48, Jets 10-3.
4. 9:41, third quarter: Breece Hall 4-yard run (Sanders kick), 5 plays, 80 yards, 3:20, Jets 17-3.
5. 4:33, third quarter: Jason Sanders 51-yard field goal, 7 plays, 46 yards, 4:05, Jets 20-3.
6. 5:00, fourth quarter: Jason Sanders 52-yard field goal, 5 plays, 19 yards, 3:01, Jets 23-3.
7. 2:42, fourth quarter: Elic Ayomanor 11-yard pass from Cam Ward (Slye kick), 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:18, Jets 23-10.

The 80-yard burst after halftime went through Garrett Wilson for 31 yards and Adonai Mitchell for 40, then Hall’s 4-yard touchdown run. Wilson finished with six catches for 79 yards. Mitchell had three for 60. Smith spread the ball to eight receivers on 10 targets and threw neither a touchdown nor a pick, with a 104.0 rating.

Cam Ward’s Night Stalled at 140 Yards

Glenn took over the defensive play-calling this season, and the first look was a long afternoon for Cam Ward, the 2025 No. 1 pick working under new coordinator Brian Daboll. Ward went 19-of-32 for 140 yards, one late touchdown, no interceptions, and an 80.2 rating. Tennessee netted 127 passing yards after three sacks for 13 yards, and the Titans had 55 yards in the first half and 112 through three quarters, with six first downs in that span.

David Bailey, Kingsley Enagbare, and Will McDonald IV each had a sack. Bailey’s came when Ward ran out of bounds on third-and-8 from the Jets’ 42, a loss that took a field-goal chance off the table. Saleh said the Jets got after them. Ward said he was very disappointed and that the Titans are better than what they showed.

CAM WARD AGAINST GLENN

• The line: 19-of-32, 140 yards, one touchdown, no picks, 80.2 rating.
• The pressure: Three sacks, plus several throwaways, with Bailey posting a game-high six quarterback pressures.
• The late score: An 11-yard toss to Ayomanor at 2:42, on a 65-yard drive that included 55 of Ward’s passing yards against a defense that had already sat in prevent.
• The run game: Tony Pollard 7 carries for 35 yards, Ward 21 yards on 4, Tyjae Spears 12 yards on 3.

Wan’Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate each had 38 receiving yards, and no Titans play went the length of the field. Tommy Townsend punted seven times for a 46.6-yard average, three of them touchbacks. Chimere Dike lost a fumble on a kickoff after a concussion check, though neither club scored off a turnover. Special teams still flipped field position New York’s way, and Qwan’tez Stiggers helped force the takeaway on returns.

What the Jets’ First-Round Class Did in Nashville

New York’s three first-round picks all touched the opener, two of them only briefly. Sadiq caught Smith’s first completion, a 7-yard gain, then took the end-around from 3 yards for the game’s first score, joining Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome from 1978 as the only tight ends in league history with a debut rushing score since Ozzie Newsome. Next Gen Stats clocked Sadiq at 20.09 mph on that run, the fastest ball-carrying play by a Jets tight end in the tracking era, which dates to 2016.

Rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq reached a top speed of 20.09 mph on his 3-yard TD run, the fastest play by a Jets tight end as a ball carrier in the NGS era (since 2016).#NYJvsTEN | #JetUp pic.twitter.com/sx5voebKac

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 13, 2026

THE THREE FIRST-ROUND PICKS

• Kenyon Sadiq: A 3-yard rushing touchdown, three catches for 21 yards, and that 20.09 mph scoring sprint after he missed most of camp.
• David Bailey: The No. 2 pick, a first career sack, and a game-high six quarterback pressures as a constant in the backfield.
• Omar Cooper Jr.: The 30th pick out of Indiana, one catch for 30 yards on third-and-9 to the Titans’ 4, then an ankle injury that ended his debut.

Cooper was carted off. X-rays were negative and an MRI was scheduled, with the injury described as a sprain. Glenn said he was not too worried about Cooper or safety Minkah Fitzpatrick at all. Fitzpatrick, signed after a March trade from Miami to a three-year, $40 million deal, hurt his left groin on Tennessee’s first series and did not return. Cornerback Jarvis Brownlee left in the second quarter with a calf injury. Brownlee, asked about the unit, said they play with grit, play physical, and play tough.

Boos, Empty Seats and a Coach Calling Himself a Loser

Saleh spent 2025 with the San Francisco 49ers after Woody Johnson fired him five games into 2024, with the Jets sitting 2-3. Tennessee hired him in January, spent heavily in March, and opened at home against the club he used to run. Before kickoff he said the desire to beat the Jets was because it was Week 1 and nothing more. After the loss, with fans raining boos on Spears for a third-down drop at 8:51 of the third quarter and the stands almost empty at the two-minute warning, he did not dress it up.

When you lose, you’re a loser.

Robert Saleh, Titans head coach, postgame at Nissan Stadium

He also rejected “lifeless” as the word, then said he expected a better performance for sure, and that everyone was frustrated. Slye had already pushed the opening kickoff out of bounds, and Saleh had to burn a timeout to avoid 12 men on the field. Hall, laughing, said a little birdie told the Jets that Tennessee wrote some checks it could not cash.

Both clubs went 3-14 last season. Glenn’s 2025 team lost its first seven and did not win until Week 8. This was New York’s first season-opening win since 2023 and its first winning record since Week 3 of 2024, the 2-1 start Saleh still had when he was in that job. Smith said they started fast, kept a foot on the gas, and tried to stay even-keeled. Glenn said they were just following their plan, they were happy to get a win, and it was only one game.

That last clause is the honest one. Beating a home team that gained 195 yards, punted seven times, and scored its only touchdown against prevent coverage is a clean Sunday, not a rewritten franchise. The louder read from the night is simpler: the Jets looked organized in all three phases, and Saleh’s new roster looked like the leftover of consecutive 3-14 years, even after the spending.

Why Fitzpatrick and Cooper Are the Week 2 Problem

Glenn hosts the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. Saleh hosts the Philadelphia Eagles in Nashville the same afternoon, also on FOX. Those are steeper rungs than a Jets team that spent last year losing by small margins and a Titans team that spent Sunday getting leaned on.

WHAT WE KNOW

• Cooper’s ankle: He is out after one catch, X-rays were negative, a sprain is the working description, and an MRI was scheduled.
• Fitzpatrick’s groin: He left on the first series, was ruled out, and was replaced in the game by Andre Cisco.
• Brownlee’s calf: He exited in the second quarter, a third starter down on a defense that still held Tennessee to 195 yards.
• Glenn’s line: He said he was not too worried about Cooper and Fitzpatrick, and that the club would look at the tape, flush it, and correct mistakes.

WHAT IS UNCONFIRMED

• Week 2 status: No practice report has landed yet on whether Cooper, Fitzpatrick, or Brownlee will work against Green Bay.
• How long: A groin strain and an ankle sprain can be days or weeks, and Glenn’s optimism is not a medical report.

Smith went untouched behind an offensive line that won the Jeffery Simmons matchup Saleh’s club needed. Hall, back from an Aug. 17 groin injury that cost him the last two preseason games, gave Reich a runner who could lean for four quarters. If Cooper’s MRI and Fitzpatrick’s groin keep both out, the same offense that needed eight receivers on Sunday will lean even harder on Wilson, Mitchell, Sadiq, and Mason Taylor, and the same defense that lost its marquee safety on the first series will have to do it again against Green Bay.

Glenn already said it is only one game. The Packers will test whether the 38:46 was a plan or a mismatch.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Did Geno Smith Last Start for the Jets Before This Game?

Smith’s first tour in New York ran from 2013 through 2016, when he made 30 starts after the club drafted him, and this start was his first in a Jets uniform since that last 2016 season. The team traded for him in March after his year with Las Vegas, then handed him the job over rookie Cade Klubnik.

Why Was Jason Sanders Kicking Instead of Blake Grupe?

The Jets claimed Grupe off waivers from Indianapolis on Aug. 31, released Sanders that same cut cycle, then reversed course and elevated Sanders from the practice squad for the opener while deactivating Grupe. Sanders missed from 54 yards, then made 33, 51, and 52.

What Was Robert Saleh’s Record When the Jets Fired Him?

Saleh went 2-3 in five games in 2024 before the firing, spent the 2025 season on San Francisco’s staff, and took the Titans job in January. Sunday was his first regular-season game as Tennessee’s head coach and the first time he called the Titans’ defensive plays, work he did not do in that role with the Jets.

Who Replaced Minkah Fitzpatrick After He Left the Game?

Andre Cisco, who had been in a camp competition at safety, took Fitzpatrick’s snaps after the groin injury on Tennessee’s first series. Cisco is the namesheet answer for Week 2 if Fitzpatrick cannot go, with Jarvis Brownlee’s calf adding a second question in the same secondary.