One of the most competitive games during Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season might be Sunday's showdown between the New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans. Both teams have tangible reasons to believe that they will make significant jumps this season following disappointing 2025 campaigns. The Titans are being led by new coach Robert Saleh and new offensive coordinator/former Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
The Jets are entering their second season under Aaron Glenn, whose first season at the helm included upset wins over the Bengals and Falcons. Sunday will mark Saleh's first game against the Jets as an opposing head coach. Saleh served as the Jets' coach from 2021-24.
After going 4-13 in his first season, Saleh guided the Jets to consecutive 7-10 campaigns and was fired just five games into the 2024 season with the Jets sitting at 2-3. While the Jets didn't have much success under his watch, it's worth noting that Saleh inherited a mess. He was also dealt a bad hand when Aaron Rodgers sustained a season-ending injury just minutes into the 2023 season.
The Jets still managed to win seven games that season and were just a game under .500 the following season before he was let go. After a season back as the 49ers' defensive coordinator, Saleh is getting a second chance to lead an NFL team. He'd surely love to get it started with a win over his former employer.
One of the things that makes this game interesting is all the new faces on both sides. The Titans and Jets have nine and eight new starters, respectively. Tennessee invested heavily in free agency with the acquisitions of former Jets pass rusher Jermaine Johnson II, wideout Wan'Dale Robinson and center Austin Schlottmann, among others.
The Titans' starting defense includes five players who weren't on the team in 2025. That doesn't include first-round pick Keldric Faulk and second-round pick Anthony Hill Jr. The Titans also made a concerted effort this offseason to improve the situation surrounding quarterback Cam Ward, who was sacked a league-high 55 times during his rookie season.
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