Jets-Packers: What to watch for in Sunday's Week 2 matchup

'I expect to feel a lot of energy in that stadium'

The Jets expect their fans to show up and be loud in Sunday’s home opener against the Packers.

A large contingent of them made the trip to Nashville last week and saw the Jets completely dominate Tennessee. It was only the second time in the last eight years that the Jets won their season opener. MetLife Stadium should be rocking on Sunday.

“I expect to feel a lot of energy in that stadium,” Garrett Wilson said. “We haven't been 1-0 coming back home playing a game. It hasn’t been our reality here, so I'm sure it might be a little extra.”

The Jets haven’t started 2-0 since 2015. They also haven’t had much of a home-field advantage because their season so often essentially has been over before Thanksgiving, sometimes before Halloween. The Jets are trying to change that.

“We want to make this place a place where it's hard to play,” Aaron Glenn said. “I'm expecting the crowd to be exactly who New York Jets fans are.”

Glenn, Pack go way back

Glenn knows the Packers and the coaching staff well from his four seasons as the Lions' defensive coordinator. He’s squared off four times against head coach/offensive play-caller Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love.

“I've been on the wrong side of those two,” Glenn said.

Actually, only once. Detroit went 3-1 against Green Bay in those games. Love threw five touchdown passes and three interceptions and was sacked six times in the four games against Glenn’s defense.

“It was always a tough challenge,” Glenn said. “Things that really stick out is the explosive plays that happen with those guys and the efficiency of this quarterback. Those are two recipes, really, that allows you to win games.”

Love passed for 387 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers’ Week 1 loss to Minnesota. He was sacked four times and hit 15 times.

Glenn could follow a similar blueprint as the Vikings, but with his own wrinkles. It’s hard to see the Jets blitzing at the rate Minnesota did — 71.7% of the time, according to Pro Football-Reference.com. 

In Week 1, Glenn’s defensive game plan worked almost to perfection. The Jets pressured Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward often, sacked him three times and kept the Titans out of the end zone until their final drive.

5 tight ends? Reich opening up the playbook

Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich showed his creativity against Tennessee. Expect more of that.

He deployed five tight ends on one play. That was a first for Reich, who asked an analyst to research if any teams had used "05 personnel" — no backs, five tight ends. He found no evidence of it over the last 20 years.

“It's something funny,” Reich said. “This is a hard business. If you don't have some ways to have some fun, try to be creative like that and do fun things for the room, for the unit . . . You can do that and still not compromise your principles, and that's just all we're trying to do.”

There will be times when he uses two-running-back sets with Breece Hall and Braelon Allen together.

The Jets believe this offense can create explosive plays and eat up the clock with long, run-heavy drives. They accomplished both against Tennessee.

Reich’s experience led to the 19-play series that featured 15 runs. He saw the way the offensive line was controlling the line of scrimmage as “an opportunity to take the heart and soul out of a defense and really take their stinger away.”

The Jets will try to continue to do that and dominate the time of possession.

All they need is to pressure Love

Limiting explosive plays was a point of emphasis for the Jets this week. Love had five pass plays of at least 30 yards against Minnesota, including an 81-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson.

Jets defensive coordinator Brian Duker said it takes everyone on defense to limit those big plays. Cornerbacks have to be on top of their receivers, safeties have to make sure they have the deep part of the field covered, and the guys up front have to pressure Love.

“Don’t give him that much time,” Duker said.

The Jets did that well against Ward. They will try to replicate it, but Love is a better quarterback and the Packers' O-line is superior to Tennessee’s.

Will McDonald had a sack and five pressures in 25 snaps. Rookie David Bailey led the Jets with six pressures. His first career sack came when he chased down a scrambling Ward and pushed him out of bounds.

Duker said Bailey “was affecting the quarterback” and that he will make a greater impact with “understanding the full scheme of the defense and how he can complement other rushers within the group too.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.