Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears believes his team is due for a turnaround.
“We have a new logo, and we have a lot of new things around here. So, we are going to have a winning record this year,” Spears told senior writer and editor Jim Wyatt.
If his prediction comes true, it would be a dramatic change from what we’ve seen from Tennessee. Over the last four years, the Titans have had a 19-49 record. That is four straight years with double-digit losses. The last two years, the Titans have finished with an identical 3-14 record.
If Spears believes the Titans are going to break that losing record drought, he likely believes his team is going to handle business in Week 1. The Titans are set to host the New York Jets in the season opener.
According to Vegas Insider, the Titans are a three-point favorite over the Jets at home.
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The Jets and Titans are looking at each other in exactly the same way.
Tennessee fans are expecting a win from their team against the Jets, who are also coming off a 3-14 season in 2025. While Jets fans view this Titans game as a must-win situation, considering the level of opponent.
Only one team can come out of this with a victory, which will set the tone for the 2026 season.
In 2025, the Jets, led by head coach Aaron Glenn, started the season 0-7. One way to establish that this season is different is by winning in Week 1.
This game means extra to Titans head coach Robert Saleh despite his politically correct responses at press conferences.
Besides the 0-7 dark cloud hanging over Glenn’s head, this game should mean extra to him as well. The Jets fired Saleh in 2024, and they eventually replaced him with Glenn. You don’t want to lose to the ex-girlfriend. The bragging will never die.
Just look back at last season’s Week 1 opener when the Jets hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers. Pittsburgh came out on top, and Rodgers talked plenty about the Jets following the game.
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A quarterback’s best friend is a good running game. The Titans believe they have a dynamic duo in the backfield.
“We’ll decide that as time goes, but those two complement each other very, very well,” Saleh told Wyatt earlier this offseason. “They’re both really, really good third down backs. I remember studying last year, you’re not beating Tony [Pollard] one-on-one in a protection system. The guy’s an elite blocker, and he’s also really good out of the backfield. And then Tyj, from a route-running ability, he’s really good in that regard. They do a really nice job complementing one another. So, like I said, we’ll figure all that out as time goes, but both are really good.”
The Jets bluntly were terrible against the run last year. However, they hope a new addition will help them in their efforts to turn things around. It’s a familiar face to Titans fans in nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat.
Sweat will certainly be motivated to prove Tennessee wrong. They gave up on their talented defender when they shipped him to the Jets in exchange for pass rusher Jermaine Johnson.
Whoever wins this battle will likely win the game. If Tennessee can control the line of scrimmage, that should lead them to victory. If the Jets can force the Titans to be one-dimensional on offense, a dub is within reach.
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