# The Jets spoil Saleh's Titans debut, 23-10

> A decade of losing had to start ending somewhere, and the Jets picked Nashville on opening Sunday.
- Title: The Jets spoil Saleh's Titans debut, 23-10 · ABC7 New York
- Summary: A decade of losing had to start ending somewhere, and the Jets picked Nashville on opening Sunday. One dominant road opener does not undo ten years, but the…
- Keywords: nfl, new york jets, tennessee titans, football, season opener, news, local, Jets, spoil, Saleh's, Titans, debut
- Source: ABC7 New York — https://abc7ny.com/post/new-york-jets-win-opener-tennessee-titans-23-10/19827619
- Published: 2026-09-13T22:44:50+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: nfl, new york jets, tennessee titans, football, season opener, news, local
## A new look Jets, one game in
New York spent the offseason tearing up a roster stuck in a decade of losing. On Sunday in Nashville, the rebuild looked exactly like the pitch.

> We're just following our plan, and that's it. That's it. We're happy to get a win. It's only one game.
## Hall and Smith set the tone
Breece Hall ran for 102 yards and a touchdown. Geno Smith, back in green after a March trade from Las Vegas, went 19 of 24 for 215 yards.

> We started fast, and obviously we kept our foot on the gas
## They never trailed
Rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq scored the only first-half touchdown, the Jets led 10-3 at the break, and they held the ball for close to 39 minutes.
## Saleh's homecoming, in reverse
Tennessee hired the coach New York fired five games into 2024, hoping he would end four losing seasons. His old team ran him over in his debut.

> They got after us
## Checks they couldn't cash
The Titans were the NFL's biggest spenders in free agency this March. The Jets outgained them 367-195 and one drive alone ate 19 plays and nearly 12 minutes.

> A little birdie told us that they wrote some checks they couldn't cash today.
## Glenn's defense chased Ward
With Aaron Glenn calling it himself, the Jets sacked Cam Ward three times, one by No. 2 overall pick David Bailey. Ward finished 19 of 32 for 140 yards.

> I'm very disappointed. We're better than what we showed.
## Tennessee beat itself early
The opening kickoff sailed out of bounds. Saleh burned a timeout to dodge a 12-men penalty. Returner Chimere Dike passed a concussion check, then lost a kickoff fumble.
## A moment for CJ2K
The Titans put Chris Johnson in their ring of honor without him there. The 2,000-yard rusher announced in June that he has ALS.
## Key takeaway

One dominant road opener does not undo ten years, but the Jets controlled every phase of this game and that is new.