Positional Advantages for Titans against Jets in Week 2

After a brutal Week 1 loss, the Tennessee Titans will look to clean up mistakes made on offense and special teams in their home opener against the New York Jets. The Jets will be looking to get into the win column on a short week after their Monday Night Football loss in San Francisco.

The Titans are looking for their first win under head coach Brian Callahan and the Jets are looking to break a playoff drought that dates back to 2010. While both teams are looking to bounce back from their 0-1 record, there's enhanced pressure on both offenses and their starting quarterbacks to show improvements that were heralded throughout the offseason.

We're diving deep into three matchups that will go about determining which of these teams can bounce back from Week 1 disappointments. These positional advantages for the Titans are areas they need to win in order to find success in this game.

Titans Cornerbacks vs. Jets Wide Receivers

The Tennessee Titans cornerbacks were one of the best units on the field in Week 1, helping to limit Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams to under 100 total passing yards and 3.2 yards per attempt in his rookie debut.

L'Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie, Roger McCreary, and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. form a deep and talented group that helped to hold Bears wide receivers to 12 receptions on 26 targets, a 46% completion rate. This group now gets to take on a Jets position group that's seen as significantly less deep than the Bears.

Garrett Wilson is a supremely talented receiver for the Jets and will be the center of their passing attack. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year commanded 11 targets and a 38% target share in the Jets season opener, while catching six passes for 60 yards.

I'd expect the Jets to move Wilson around in their formations to look for advantageous matchups. Sneed got the better of Wilson last season in the Chiefs win over the Jets, holding the versatile playmaker to three catches on six targets for 24 yards when Sneed was the primary defender in coverage.

Behind their star wide receiver the Jets have a mix of reliable veterans and unproven young players. Allen Lazard caught two touchdown passes in Week 1 while playing 100% of the offensive snaps. Lazard previously spent four full seasons in Green Bay with quarterback Aaron Rodgers before following him to New York in 2023. The Iowa State alumni is a deep play threat, averaging 13.3 yards per catch in his career.

Former Charger Mike Williams played only nine snaps in Week 1 as he works his way back from a torn ACL. With Williams shaking the rust off, Xavier Gipson worked as the third wide receiver. The second year pro worked primarily from the slot where he'll see a lot of the ascending McCreary. Williams and Gipson both landed in the bottom five for PFF grades on the Jets offense in Week 1, per USA Today.

The Titans should be able to win these matchups if their cornerback room continues the high level of play that they showed in Week 1. Containing Wilson will be key to slowing down the Jets passing attack and getting the defense off the field.

Titans Pass Catchers vs. Jets Safeties

The Titans offense won't have many advantages against a Jets defense that's particularly strong at cornerback and in the front seven. In order to win the game, the Titans will need to run effectively and be efficient in the middle of the field to avoid cornerbacks Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter II along the boundaries.

Perhaps the biggest weakness in the Jets defense is their safety room led by starters Chuck Clark and Tony Adams. Whether its with tight ends running up the seam, running backs creating yards after the catch on check downs, or wide receivers getting vertical against zone defense, the Titans need to attack this position group through the air.

Last week, Clark played his first regular season game in over a year. The veteran safety tore his ACL last offseason after coming to New York in free agency from Baltimore. Clark has been known more as a run stopper than pass defender, grading out on PFF worse in coverage than run defense each of his past two seasons as a starter.

Adams is entering his second season as a starter and third season in the league. The Illinois alumni is looking to have a breakout season and started off on the right foot, leading the Jets with 12 tackles on Monday night. Adams has plenty of talent, but hasn't been the most consistent in pass coverage throughout his career.

The Titans should look to take advantage of one of the few weak links on this side of the ball for the Jets.

Titans Defensive Line vs. Jets Offensive Line

The Titans defensive line was a strength on paper heading into the season and looked dominant for stretches in Week 1. The team held the Bears to 3.8 yards per carry and consistently put pressure on Caleb Williams in the passing game.

According to PFF, rookie T'Vondre Sweat ranked third among all defensive lineman in pass-rush grade in his Week 1 debut. Sebastian Joseph-Day picked up his first sack as a Titan and batted down a pass. Jeffery Simmons, Keondre Coburn, and James Lynch all combined to pressure Williams and close running lanes quickly, leading to the Titans ranking sixth in the NFL in expected yards per carry (4.0) according to Next Gen Stats.

Aaron Rodgers attempted only two passes of over 15 yards, one of which was a free play due to an offsides penalty, and was the third fastest quarterback in average time to throw in Week 1 at 2.47 seconds, per SB Nation. The Titans will need to get pressure quickly from the interior to disrupt Rodgers, who looked less mobile coming off an Achilles' injury last season.

The Jets offensive line struggled immensely in the running game in Week 1. Breece Hall averaged just 3.4 yards per carry on his way to 54 rushing yards, but PFF had him at -10 yards before contact. Four of the five starting offensive lineman ranked in the bottom half of their respective position groups in run blocking grade for their performance.

The Titans defensive line is a huge piece of the group that currently ranks first in the NFL by yardage allowed and will need to continue to win along the line of scrimmage this week. Pressuring the veteran quarterback and closing running gaps will be key to getting the offense better field position and winning this game.