Jets' offense shows signs in Week 1 win over Titans that this could be a fun season

NASHVILLE — The loud celebratory screaming inside the Jets’ locker room was warranted after they dominated the Tennessee Titans, controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football.

It truly is a new season. The Jets didn’t have much to celebrate last year and didn’t dominate anything other than special teams. This was a performance that not only gives the players confidence in what Aaron Glenn and the other coaches are preaching but creates optimism about where they can go from here.

The Jets recorded a 23-10 victory over a Titans team that looked uninspired, overmatched and unprepared. It was a bad optic for former Jets coach Robert Saleh in his Titans debut. To Glenn’s credit, the Jets looked inspired, prepared and far and away the better team.

The defense was solid. They sacked Cam Ward three times and pressured him 16 times. Glenn’s group didn’t allow a touchdown until 2:42 remained in the game.

Let’s see how they do in next Sunday’s home opener against the Packers, a far better offensive team.

The most impressive thing on Sunday, though, was the play of Frank Reich’s offense. There was balance, there was diversity, there were big runs and explosive pass plays.

This happened against a usually stout Saleh defense. It could be something sustainable with the talent and depth the Jets have and Reich calling the plays.

“We’ve got guys,” Geno Smith said. “We should have the mindset that there is no ceiling.”

It started on the first drive of the season. Reich mixed it up, calling five runs and three passes. The big play was a 30-yard catch-and-run by rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr. on third down that set up rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq's 3-yard touchdown run on an end-around.

The Jets have been a well-below-average offense for a long time, so this could take some getting used to if it’s consistent.

“We know the potential that we have with the personnel we have,” Breece Hall said.

Smith distributed the football, throwing it to 10 different players and connecting with eight. The Jets totaled 23 points, but they could have scored more, a lot more. Hall thought they could have put up 40. He’s not lying. Pre-snap penalties hurt some scoring chances and a 23-yard touchdown run by Braelon Allen was called back because of a holding penalty.

“We still left a lot on the field,” Garrett Wilson said. “That’s the best part about it.”

The Jets possessed the football for 38 minutes and 46 seconds. That is almost unfathomable when you consider the type of offensive performances they’ve put forth over the years. They had drives of at least 55 yards four times.

The one that really jumps out was a 19-play drive in the second quarter. The Jets had the ball for 11:48 and ran the ball 15 times — 14 designed and one Smith scramble. That’s how well the Jets’ offensive line played.

“We were dominant,” right guard Joe Tippmann said. “I think we had a lot of statement runs.”

This was a first for Tippmann, blocking on a 19-play drive. Few if any players on this Jets team have ever been a part of anything like that. You can’t expect to see that again, but the way the O-line blocked on that series and all game is something the Jets believe should be a constant.

They gave Smith all the time he needed to throw, too. He wasn’t sacked once. “I don’t think I got touched at all out there,” he said.

He is not far off. The Titans were  credited with only one QB hit.

It’s only Week 1, but if the O-line consistently protects Smith and opens lanes for the backs, scoring points might not be an issue for the Jets this season.

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.