The New York Jets’ 2026 season opener is less than 24 hours away.

After a long, grueling offseason, football is finally back. Getting off to a hot start is more important than ever for a Jets team looking to snap a 15-year playoff drought.

For Gang Green to leave Nashville with a win, they must do these three things.

1. Blitz, blitz, blitz

Titans quarterback Cam Ward was one of the worst quarterbacks in football last year.

When he faced pressure, though, his play reached unfathomable lows. He generated just a 33.9% success rate against the blitz, which was the lowest among qualified QBs in 2025. Ward was so far behind in the metric that the gap between him and the second-worst quarterback was equal to the one separating the second-worst and the 14th-worst.

The Jets must do everything they can to pressure Ward and force mistakes. The good news is that the Jets’ defensive play-caller, Aaron Glenn, has a history of being a blitz-heavy coach.

During the 2024 season, when Glenn was the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator, Detroit ranked second in the NFL in blitz rate at 34.6%, per Pro-Football-Reference.

Glenn didn’t call plays for the Jets in 2025, but Steve Wilks wasn’t as aggressive as a blitzer, ranking 12th with a 25.8% blitz rate. That number should climb with Glenn taking the play-calling reins.

The Jets have a perfect matchup in Week 1 to apply heavy pressure. Ideally, Glenn’s pressure packages can force Ward into mistakes that give New York an early advantage. The biggest question, though, is whether the Jets’ coverage can hold up.

Ultimately, it will be up to the blitz to get home quickly to keep Ward from connecting with open pass catchers before the rush can get to him. Tennessee’s WR corps is solid and should hold the advantage over New York’s corners. If Jowon Briggs, David Bailey, and the rest of the Jets’ pass rushers fail to dominate, New York’s back end may struggle to hold up.

Pressuring Ward should be the Jets’ No. 1 goal. Rather than count on the four-man rush to pull it off, they should blitz early and often, challenging the young quarterback to prove whether he has developed his ability to find answers against extra rushers.

2. Spray the ball around

Geno Smith has been one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL since 2022, and the Jets should take advantage of that.

Tennessee’s defense provides favorable matchups for the Jets’ pass catchers to create separation all over the field. Whether it’s at cornerback, linebacker, or safety, the Titans will yield mismatches to the Jets.

New York should maximize their matchup advantages by divvying up targets among multiple players across several positions, including running back Breece Hall out of the backfield and tight end Mason Taylor. Both face very favorable matchups and have a strong opportunity to make a difference in the passing attack on Sunday.

Then, there is first-round rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who will suit up for Sunday’s game after missing most of the summer and all of the preseason due to a setback from a hernia procedure. He could make a bigger impact than some expect because of the Titans’ porous coverage at safety, yielding chances for Sadiq to make noise after the catch.

The Jets have a window to do some serious damage through the air in Tennessee. It’s crucial that they mix things up by spreading the ball around to a variety of players other than Garrett Wilson.

3. Contain Jeffrey Simmons

Slowing down Tennessee’s defensive line starts with Jeffery Simmons, who is arguably the biggest threat New York will face on Sunday.

Simmons led all defensive linemen with 11.0 sacks last season. He was even better in key situations, recording 7.5 sacks on third down, which led all defensive tackles. Furthermore, Simmons generated five turnovers through pressure, which also led his position.

The Jets can’t allow Simmons to consistently wreck the game against Geno Smith, who struggles mightily under pressure at this stage of his career. Smith can still play solid football from a clean pocket, but he becomes a liability when pressured.

That creates a concerning matchup for the Jets’ interior offensive line. The Jets will likely give Simmons plenty of double-team looks, but he’s one of the rare players who can consistently get past those. He finished with 18 pressures against double teams last year, which were the most at his position.

There is no doubt that Simmons will make his fair share of plays, but the Jets can’t let him entirely take over the game. Limiting his impact is critical for the team.