Titans’ special teams will quickly prove Week 1 was just a bizarre outlier

For the millionth time, the Tennessee Titans looked worse than expected across the board in their Week 1 loss against the New York Jets. While everyone waits to see which groups will bounce back, there is one phase of the game where fans should expect immediate improvement.

When the Titans hired Bones Fassel to coach special teams, the fan base rejoiced because it looked like their issues in that phase were finally over. Luckily for them, they were right because 2025 was an amazing year for the Titans' special teams, and that includes Chimere Dike earning All-Pro honors as a rookie.

Given the large sample size of data, it was shocking that the Titans had the worst special teams output in the NFL in Week 1 according to one metric.

Titans are guaranteed to improve on special teams in Week 2

Whether it was a poorly placed opening kickoff, a fumble on a kickoff return, or multiple touchbacks on punts that should have been downed, the Titans just couldn't get a single positive break when it came to special teams in Week 1.

While it is technically possible that catastrophe strikes twice, it is hard to imagine one of the most well-coached special teams units in the NFL having bad luck like that two weeks in a row. Instead, fans should expect this to go from a weakness to a strength against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.

The Titans still need to do prioritize things like getting Cam Ward to play better, rushing the quarterback more effectively, establishing the run game, and blocking better up front, but special teams can be something that brings energy to each side of the ball.

Fassel said as much on Thursday in his press conference. When he was discussing the importance of special teams, how that energy feeds directly into offense and defense, and why this Sunday would be different, he said this,

"There wasn't a lot of momentum or flow to that special teams game for us. I'm looking forward to us injecting some life into the defense when we cover punts and kickoffs, and injecting some life into the offense when we return punts and kickoffs. I would expect us to do that at a higher level moving forward."

Sometimes coachspeak is just that, but with Fassel, you can tell from his intensity, focus on the details, and, most importantly, his resume, that he truly means it. That is why fans should have confidence that special teams will get back on track as soon as possible, and maybe Fassel is right, and that will be something that sparks the rest of the team in Week 2.

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