For once, Jets fans get to spend the week after the season opener talking about what went right. The New York Jets went into Nashville and came away with a convincing 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans, giving Aaron Glenn’s team a 1-0 start and some early momentum heading into the home opener against the Green Bay Packers.
Of course, following the NFL has become about much more than simply watching the game on Sunday. Fans are tracking fantasy teams, checking scores and statistics around the league, following odds, and spending time on different forms of online entertainment. That extends beyond the United States as well, with Canadian football fans having access to options such as online casino ontario alongside the usual collection of fantasy sports and gaming platforms. But for Jets fans this week, the attention turns back to the field and a much different challenge coming to MetLife Stadium.
One win doesn’t tell us what this Jets team will ultimately become. It did, however, give us our first real look at the 2026 version of the team. Here are five things worth watching as the Jets try to build on their 1-0 start.
1. Can the Jets Offensive Line Do It Again?
If there was one development from Week 1 that should have Jets fans excited, it was what happened up front. The Jets rushed for 152 yards against Tennessee, including 102 yards and a touchdown from Breece Hall. Geno Smith wasn’t sacked, and the Jets put together a 19-play possession that took 11:48 off the clock. Fifteen of those plays were runs.
That is the kind of football Aaron Glenn has talked about wanting his team to play. As we covered in our Jets 23-10 win over the Titans, the running game allowed New York to control the tempo while keeping Tennessee’s offense on the sideline. Now comes the question every Jets fan has after an encouraging performance: Can they do it again?
Green Bay presents a different challenge, although the Packers will be without Micah Parsons, who started the season on injured reserve. If the Jets can continue controlling the line of scrimmage, it would go a long way toward showing that what happened in Nashville wasn’t just a one-week occurrence.
2. What Does Geno Smith Do for an Encore?
The Jets didn’t need Geno Smith to throw for 350 yards or four touchdowns in Week 1. They needed him to take care of the football, make plays when they were available, and allow the offense to stay on schedule. That’s exactly what he did. Smith completed 19 of 24 passes for 215 yards with no interceptions. He also hit Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell for gains of 41 and 40 yards on the same third-quarter drive, showing that the Jets can still attack vertically even when Frank Reich is leaning heavily on the running game.
That’s an important combination.
If Hall and the offensive line force defenses to respect the run, Smith doesn’t have to carry the offense. He just has to punish defenses when they commit too many resources to stopping it. Week 2 should give us another indication of whether that formula can work consistently.
3. Aaron Glenn Knows the Packers
This isn’t an unfamiliar opponent for Aaron Glenn. Before becoming Jets head coach, Glenn spent four seasons as defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. That meant regular meetings with Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love and the Packers. Glenn acknowledged that familiarity this week while discussing Green Bay and the challenge his team will face.
According to the Jets official website, Green Bay produced 10 explosive plays totaling 313 yards in its season-opening loss to Minnesota. That’s something Glenn’s defense can’t afford to overlook simply because the Packers enter MetLife at 0-1. Glenn knows what LaFleur wants to do offensively. LaFleur also has years of experience going against Glenn’s defenses. That familiarity makes the coaching matchup one of the more interesting parts of Sunday’s game.
4. How Does the Defense Adjust Without Minkah Fitzpatrick?
The biggest negative to come out of Nashville was the injury to Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick suffered a groin injury early against Tennessee and did not return. Glenn said this week that the veteran safety is among several Jets players considered week-to-week. That’s a significant loss against a quarterback like Jordan Love.
Andre Cisco and Dane Belton stepped in against Tennessee and will be asked to take on larger roles if Fitzpatrick can’t go. The Jets also hope to get rookie cornerback D’Angelo Ponds onto the field after he missed Week 1. The encouraging part is that the Jets didn’t fall apart defensively when Fitzpatrick left the opener. Tennessee was held to 195 total yards, punted seven times and didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
Green Bay should provide a much better test of the Jets secondary depth.
5. Was Week 1 the Beginning of Something?
This is ultimately the biggest question. Jets fans have seen plenty of encouraging performances over the years that didn’t lead anywhere. One September win isn’t going to erase that history. But there were things about the Tennessee game that looked sustainable.
The offensive line controlled the game. Breece Hall looked healthy. Geno Smith protected the football. Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell created explosive plays. The defense pressured the quarterback and didn’t allow Tennessee to establish any rhythm. Those aren’t gimmicks. They’re things good football teams do.
Now the Jets get an opportunity to show they can repeat them against a different opponent. A 2-0 start wouldn’t answer every question surrounding this team, but it would make the conversation around the Jets considerably more interesting. After everything this fan base has been through, there are worse problems to have.
