By MIKE ROBERTS
We’ve covered the preseason and the cuts down to a 53-man roster. Now the Tennessee Titans are all set for their regular-season opener, which is this Sunday at home against the New York Jets (1 PM).
The Titans are coming off back-to-back three-win seasons. Last year, they finished dead-last in the AFC South behind the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis Colts. Yes, that’s a pretty lousy record, but it’s understandable, seeing that they were a rebuilding team with a rookie quarterback under center.
While the Titans are still rebuilding, can they get off to a great start and beat the Jets in Week 1? Here are three key questions pertaining to Sunday’s game.
How Will Cam Ward Look?
Titans quarterback Cam Ward (59.8%, 3,169 yards, 15 TD in 2025) had a roller coaster of a rookie year, but the highs were pretty fun to watch like his Week 5 performance against the Arizona Cardinals (career-high 265 yards).
Will Ward emerge as a star this year? Unfortunately, the former No. 1 overall pick didn’t look impressive in the preseason. But who cares? The preseason doesn’t really count.
To succeed, Ward will need help from his pass-catching crew. The Titans signed WR Wan’Dale Robinson (92 rec., 1,014 yards, 4 TD) to a four-year, $70 million deal in the offseason, and his addition should help a great deal.
However, Carnell Tate might be the biggest prize of the team’s pass-catching crew. The Titans drafted the talented wideout with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tate put together a stellar career at Ohio State, where he recorded 121 catches for 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns. Tate has all the tools you look for in a wide receiver. He possesses smooth and clean route running and is known as a big-play threat. We’ll see if the Ward-Tate connection will get to showcase itself Sunday.
Will the Titans’ Defense Come Through?
Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi revamped the defense this offseason, adding pieces like John Franklin-Myers (7.5 sacks, 15 QB hits), Alontae Taylor, Cor’Dale Flott, Anthony Hill Jr., and Keldric Faulk. They’ll join holdovers like Jeffery Simmons (11 sacks and 67 combined tackles) and Cedric Gray.
Tennessee’s new-look defense will face a Jets offense that features veteran quarterback Geno Smith, who’s now in his second stint with the team; along with RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson as well as the young tight end combo of Kenyon Sadiq and Mason Taylor.
We’ll see if the defense can consistently put pressure on Smith and force him to have an uncomfortable Sunday afternoon. And hopefully they can contain Hall, who’s easily one of the league’s best running backs when healthy.
Will Saleh Get Some Revenge?
After serving as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers last year, Robert Saleh is entering his first season as the Titans’ head coach. This, of course, isn’t Saleh’s first time as an NFL head coach. He coached the Jets from 2021 to 2024, compiling a 20-36 record before being fired.
Perhaps nobody wants to win this contest more than Saleh, whom the Jets let go early in the 2024 campaign, following a 2-3 start. Honestly, he didn’t really get a fair shake during his time in New York as he had bad luck at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury and the struggling Zach Wilson. Yeah, that’s definitely not a recipe for success.
Prediction: Titans win.
Saleh gets a little revenge as he finds a way to guide the Titans to a victory over his former team.