The New York Jets kicked off their 2026 campaign on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, and it went according to plan, as New York secured a 23-10 win to begin the year with a 1-0 record.

Right off the bat, New York set the tone.

The Jets marched down the field before Sadiq capped the drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown on a jet sweep. He also had a seven-yard reception on a screen pass before finishing the drive off.

Fellow first-round rookie Omar Cooper Jr. also made a huge play, making a 30-yard catch-and-run with multiple missed tackles forced in third down to put the Jets within striking distance. More than anything, the entire operation looked smooth.

Frank Reich did an excellent job of mixing things up as a play-caller and keeping Tennessee’s defense on their toes throughout the opening possession. That’s the advantage of having a new OC for Week 1. While squads can look at Reich’s history, they don’t really know what he’ll do with his new personnel.

On the ensuing drive, Tennessee converted a 42-yard field goal. The Jets’ defense got beat by Cam Ward’s legs and his ability to escape to make plays on the run. However, they held the Titans to just a field goal, and the Jets kept their lead.

The Jets’ second offensive drive, though, wasn’t as pretty. They didn’t move the sticks, and on third down, a miscommunication between Geno Smith and center Josh Myers led to an errant snap, a fumble, and an almost-recovery by Tennessee.

After getting ahead due to the passing game early on, the Jets’ running game was the story of the second quarter. Throughout six carries to begin the second frame, Braelon Allen rushed for 31 yards.

The Jets were in business and chewed up nearly 10 minutes of the clock. However, despite converting twice on fourth down, it ended in just a 33-yard field goal from Jason Sanders.

New York was gifted another opportunity, though, due to a great play on special teams, where Marcelino McCrary-Ball punched it out on the return, and Qwan’tez Stiggers recovered. The Jets couldn’t get into an offensive rhythm, though, and were forced to try a 54-yard field goal with Jason Sanders, who left it wide left.

Ahead of halftime, the Jets had an opportunity to tack onto their lead, but it was unsuccessful. The team struggled to manage the clock, and ultimately time expired before the Jets could generate another opportunity.

That didn’t matter, though, as the Jets remained in control throughout the second half, and New York took a 17-3 lead in the third quarter. While Breece Hall finished things off with a short rushing touchdown, the play of the drive was a 40-yard bomb from Smith to Adonai Mitchell with perfect ball placement.

Overall, it was a five-play, 80-yard drive.

On the next offensive possession, Smith continued to thread the needle, connecting with Garrett Wilson on several impressive pitch-and-catches. The drive eventually stalled, but Sanders drilled a 51-yard field goal to extend New York’s lead to 20-3, bouncing back nicely after an ugly miss from 54 earlier on.

It gave the Jets a three-score cushion in the third quarter.

From there, Sanders added another field goal to give the Jets even more breathing room, while the defense continued to keep Tennessee’s offense in check.

Ward eventually found the end zone for a garbage-time touchdown, cutting into the Jets’ lead and making the final score look much closer than the game actually was.

New York will now turn their attention to their home opener next Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, where they will look to build on a strong Week 1 showing and move to 2-0.