Jets defeat Titans as Breece Hall carries for 102 yards, TD

NASHVILLE — Aaron Glenn’s second season as Jets coach began much better than his first and included a show of appreciation from the many fans who made the trip.

Late in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ season-opening 23-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans, an “Aa-Ron Glenn” chant was heard inside Nissan Stadium.

The Jets looked completely different from last season, when Glenn went 3-14 and didn’t get his first win until Week 8. They dominated this game from the opening series, led 23-3 in the fourth quarter and spoiled former Jets coach Robert Saleh’s debut with the Titans.

“Pretty good start,” Glenn said.

It was more than that, especially after last season’s failures. The Jets moved the ball well and stifled the Titans’ offense, and their special teams made plays, just like last season. It all led to the many “J-E-T-S” chants.

“They definitely in all three phases executed,” Saleh said. “They got after us.”

Right from the outset. The Jets opened the season with what right guard Joe Tippmann called “a statement drive.”

Geno Smith, making his first start as Jets quarterback in 3,612 days, led his team down the field in eight plays. It ended with rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq taking a handoff on an end-around and scoring on a 3-yard run.

Rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr. helped set up the touchdown with a 30-yard catch-and-run on third-and-9 from the 34. Cooper spun twice and broke two tackles on the play.

“It’s something we talk about all the time — we want to start fast,” Smith said. “We started fast and we kept our foot on the gas.”

Garrett Wilson added, “You start a game like that and get off on the right foot, you’re going to be in a good spot, and it happened today.’’

Smith was sharp, took care of the football, completed 19 of 24 passes for 215 yards and connected with eight different receivers. Wilson caught six passes for 79 yards.

The Jets controlled the line of scrimmage and racked up 152 yards on the ground. Breece Hall and Braelon Allen each averaged at least four yards per carry. Hall rushed 22 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.

“A little birdie told us that they wrote some checks that they couldn’t cash today,” Hall said of the Titans, although he wouldn’t elaborate. “They know. They know. We just went out there and played hard. That’s the standard of our room to be one of the biggest sparks on the team.”

The Jets showed their offensive versatility. They had a 19-play drive featuring 15 runs, and two series later, Smith connected on a 31-yard pass to Wilson and a 40-yarder to Adonai Mitchell that led to Hall’s 4-yard touchdown run.

Glenn’s defense stood up and stood out, too. He’s calling the plays this season, and his group hounded Titans quarterback Cam Ward all game, holding Tennessee to 195 total yards.

Ward was sacked three times and was chased out of the pocket frequently. He finished 19-for-32 for 140 yards and a touchdown that was scored with 2:42 left in the game.

“In all phases, we played the brand of ball that we wanted to play,” linebacker Demario Davis said.

The Jets’ special teams got a takeaway. Kicker Jason Sanders, who struggled in training camp and the preseason, made three field goals (33, 51, 52 yards), although he also missed a 54-yarder.

One thing that the Jets lamented was not scoring more. They led only 10-3 at halftime after squandering two golden opportunities to put more points on the board.

On their 19-play drive, Mason Taylor was flagged for a false start on third-and-1 at the 10. Smith’s pass to Allen on the next play was incomplete. The Jets settled for Sanders’ 33-yard field goal.

On the ensuing kickoff, Qwan’tez Stiggers recovered a fumble at the Titans’ 38, but the Jets couldn’t turn that sudden change into points against a defense that had been on the field for just about the entire second quarter.

An 8-yard loss on a second-down screen pass to Taylor sent the Jets back to the 43. Wilson had a 7-yard reception, but Sanders’ 54-yard field-goal attempt was a low knuckleball that hooked to the left.

“I feel like we left 17 points out there,” Hall said.

After the Jets went ahead 17-3 on the first series of the second half on Hall’s 4-yard touchdown run, Smith engineered another scoring drive on the following possession.

Allen’s 23-yard touchdown run was nullified by a holding penalty on center Josh Myers, but the Jets took a 20-3 lead on Sanders’ 51-yard field goal with 4:33 left in the third quarter.

“We have so many things we got to clean up,” Glenn said. “But this is a good start for us.”

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.