Saleh faces the Jets as Titans and New York chase a season-opening spark

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Robert Saleh’s regular-season debut with the Tennessee Titans comes against a familiar foe.

The New York Jets fired Saleh as their coach five games into the 2024 season. And while the Titans would certainly enjoy beating their new coach’s former team, starting the NFL season off with a win — regardless of the opponent — is all that matters to them and Saleh on Sunday.

Same for Aaron Glenn’s Jets.

These woeful franchises desperately want proof they’ve made the right moves during the offseason to stop the misery of too many losing seasons. Tennessee has strung together four straight losing seasons and hasn’t won a season opener since 2020.

“Starting fast is always good because you never know, you win a couple early and you start getting momentum, you start getting confidence with a young group and then who knows where it goes,” Saleh said.

The Jets are trying to snap a 15-year playoff drought, the longest active skid in the NFL and worst among any team in the four major North American men’s sports leagues. New York also has 10 straight seasons of records below .500.

Glenn is going into his second season already having made changes to his coaching staff, and he said it doesn't matter who the opponent is.

“Our job is to go out there and play this game and be the best that we can be on every play and to go out there and win a game, hands down,” Glenn said. "Nothing else is to be thought of, and that’s how I look at it.”

One change both Saleh and Glenn have made for this season is each coach will be calling the defensive plays during games. Glenn didn't last season and Saleh said that's one thing he wants to do differently from his time with the Jets.

This game starts the 28th and final season for the Titans at their current stadium before they move into the new Nissan Stadium next door. The franchise unveiled new uniforms and logos in March tapping their Oilers' roots, and they open the season at home for the first time since 2022.

“To be able to open the season up at home in front of all fans, everyone excited," Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said. "Everything new. New uniform, new vibe, new coaching staff. I’m excited, and I feel like we have worked our tail off this whole training camp and this all season to get where we are at this point.”

New York Jets at Tennessee

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS

Latest odds: Titans by 1 1/2.

Against the spread: Jets 7-9-1, Titans 7-10.

Last meeting: Jets beat Titans 24-17 on Sept. 15, 2024, in Nashville

Series record: Titans lead 25-21-1.

The Titans' redesigned defensive front against the Jets offensive line. New York has four starters back on that line that gave up 60 sacks in 2025. Tennessee signed John Franklin-Myers, Jacob Martin, Solomon Thomas and traded with the Jets for defensive end Jermaine Johnson II. The Titans built around Simmons coming off his first All-Pro season with a career-high 11 sacks.

— The Titans induct Chris Johnson into their Ring of Honor at halftime. Johnson announced in June he has been diagnosed with ALS .

— The Jets have won two straight and four of the past five games in this series. This is the fourth season opener all time between these teams. The Jets have been on the road for each of those openers.

— The Jets were the first team to go an entire season without an interception in 2025 since the NFL started tracking the stat in 1933.

— The Titans need one win to reach 500 all-time victories as a franchise, including the playoffs.

— Titans QB Cam Ward finished his rookie season with 10 TD passes and only one interception over his final nine games.

— QB Geno Smith will make his first start for the Jets since his last game with the franchise: Oct. 23, 2016, at home against Baltimore.

— Titans RB Tony Pollard is one of three running backs in the NFL with Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry with at least 1,200 yards from scrimmage and five or more rushing TDs in each of the past four seasons.

— Breece Hall led the New York Jets with 1,415 scrimmage yards, including a career-high 1,065 yards rushing.

— No. 2 overall pick David Bailey had a good camp, and the edge rusher is expected to provide an immediate boost to a Jets' pass rush that managed just 26 sacks in 2025.

— WR Carnell Tate , the No. 4 overall pick, is listed as a starter for a Tennessee offense that ranked 30th in yards passing per game in 2025.

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