The Tennessee Titans opened the 2026 NFL season at home against the New York Jets. Cam Ward was all set to get his sophomore season started with a bang and the Jets seemed like an easy opponent to do that against.
Then the game was actually played and the Titans looked lost. The final score read 23-10 in favor of the Jets, the Titans managed 195 total yards of offense, and No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate finished with four receptions for 38 yards.
The defense let Breece Hall rush for over 100 yards and Geno Smith kept a clean sheet, finishing an efficient 19/24 for 215 yards.
Robert Saleh is the Titans’ new head coach and is looking to turn the franchise around after back-to-back 3-14 seasons. He was probably not expecting to be asked if his team’s performance was “lifeless” in Week 1.
Robert Saleh Tries to Stay Confident
ESPN’s Turron Davenport shared some quotes from Saleh following the loss. One part in particular stood out as Saleh tries to keep his team confident after a dud loss.
“Robert Saleh acknowledged the play was bad,” Davenport wrote on X. “He wouldn’t call it lifeless but agreed they’re in need of playing better. Saleh said they’ll get it right. This game was the worst start the #Titans could have had.”
Saleh won’t call the performance “lifeless,” but did acknowledge it was “bad.” That seems like a good strategy for a new head coach. Going after effort may not go over well in the locker room, especially so early in the season.
The Titans just could not get anything going on offense. Tony Pollard was the leading rusher with seven carries for 35 yards. Ward was next with four rushes for 21 yards.
Last year’s No. 1 overall pick fell flat against the Jets, finishing 19/32 for 140 and a garbage-time touchdown. His first drive finished with a field goal and his last drive finished with a touchdown. Everything in between was the Jets defense winning the battle against the Titans offense.
Road Ahead for the Titans
Davenport called this the “worst start the Titans could have had.” That sentiment is likely felt by plenty of fans and was foreshadowed by incredibly low get-in ticket prices for the opener.
The road ahead is not much easier as the Titans host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. That is followed by road games against the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens, respectively.
The team’s success will ultimately come down to the play of Ward. The defense was not great on Sunday but did manage to hold the Jets to 23 points. Ward and the offense had drives end in punts five times in the second half before the touchdown near the end of the game.
The team is essentially stuck with him given his No. 1 draft slot last season. That puts the focus on offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as well. If the offense continues to look somewhere close to “lifeless,” Daboll could be the first one to go.
Titans HC Robert Saleh Refuses to Call Team’s Week 1 Performance ‘Lifeless’