Jets 23, Titans 10 — Week 1: 140 Passing Yards Allowed, Nothing Over Twenty

Tennessee did not have a single play of 20 yards or more on Sunday. Not a run, not a pass, in 49 pass-and-run snaps against a Jets defense that finished last in the league against the pass a year ago. The Titans threw for a hundred 40 yards, took three sacks, converted four of 12 third downs, and did not take a snap inside the New York 20 until there were two 53 left and the game was 23 to three. 23 to 10, Jets, at Nissan Stadium, and New York led on 93 percent of the plays.

Start with the pass defense, because it is the unit that was the reason to worry about this team and it was the unit that decided the afternoon. 35 Tennessee pass plays produced a hundred 40 yards, one touchdown, and −7 expected points added. Expected points added is what a snap was worth given the down, the distance and the field position, and on defense a big negative number is the good direction — those are points the offense gave back by running the play at all. −7 on 35 is sixth-best of the 16 teams in Sunday's early games, and 15 of the 35 were successful for Tennessee, a 43 percent rate that is fifth-best. The first half was 10 Titans pass plays for 32 yards and −5. Three sacks — Kingsley Enagbare, David Bailey, and Will McDonald, whose 11-yard sack on second and 14 at the Tennessee 12 put the Titans on their own one. The one touchdown allowed was Cam Ward to Elic Ayomanor for 11 on third and 10 with two 45 left, down 20. The run defense was ordinary: 14 carries, 68 yards, +1 and a half allowed, tied for twelfth of the 16. The defense stopped eight of 12 third downs and did not take the ball away, and it did not need to.

The passing offense was efficient and it did not score. 24 pass plays, 215 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, no sacks, and +10 expected points — fourth of the 16 by expected points per pass play, and 12 of the 24 successful. Three throws did the damage: Geno Smith to Omar Cooper for 30 on third and nine from the Tennessee 34 on the opening drive, to the four; and on the first drive of the second half, Garrett Wilson deep right for 31 on second and two from the New York 28, then Adonai Mitchell deep right for 40 on first and 20 from the New York 49, to the 11. Two plays later Breece Hall scored from the four around left end. Five plays, 80 yards from the New York 20, and it was 17 to three. The other touchdown was Kenyon Sadiq around left end from the three on second and three with 10 50 left in the first quarter, two plays after the Cooper catch.

The run game was 36 carries for a hundred 55 yards, two touchdowns, and plus nothing — 18 of 36 successful, tied for third-best rate of the 16, and no expected points to show for it, ninth. 22 of the 36 carries came before halftime. The 18-play drive that produced the second-quarter field goal went from the New York 12 to the Tennessee 14 and took 11 minutes and 45 seconds, and it converted fourth and two at the Tennessee 40 on a nine-yard throw to Wilson and fourth and one at the 22 on a three-yard Braelon Allen run before stalling at the 14.

Which brings the part to hold against the offense. Two of 11 third downs converted, fourteenth of the 16; seven snaps inside the Tennessee 20 for two touchdowns. Jason Sanders made from 33, 51 52, and missed from 54 with two 44 left in the half, 13 points of win probability on the miss, after Qwan'tez Stiggers had recovered Chimere Dike's kickoff fumble at the Tennessee 38. A 23-yard Allen touchdown run on fourth and one in the third was wiped out by a holding call and became the 51-yarder. New York had no turnovers and allowed no sacks.

Now the part where a Week 1 episode has to be honest about what it is. The ranks in this episode are against the 16 teams that played in the early window on Sunday, not the whole league. What there is, is last year, and last year was three wins. In 2025 this defense finished 30-second in expected points allowed per pass play, 30-first overall, 30-first in sacks, and last in the league with three takeaways. On Sunday it was sixth of 16 against the pass, it had three sacks, and it allowed nothing longer than 14 yards. That is the contradiction, and it is one game against an offense that finished thirtieth in expected points per play a year ago. The offense finished 20-ninth in expected points per play and last in the league in touchdowns per red-zone snap; on Sunday it was sixth of 16 and scored on two of seven red-zone snaps. If you want one sentence out of this: the two units that finished at the bottom of the league both played like the top half against one opponent on one afternoon, and the opponent is the reason to wait.

New York is home to Green Bay next Sunday. Watch the pass defense against Green Bay, and watch the third downs, in that order.

That's your Jets — every game, by the numbers. This is Muffed: we do the same deep dive for all 32 teams. Follow the Jets show wherever you're listening, so next week's recap lands the moment it's out. No theater. Just the football.

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_Data via nflverse._