Jets regroup for 24-17 win at Titans as Aaron Rodgers leans on Braelon Allen, Breece Hall

New York's offense comes alive in big moments while defense suffers key losses

9/15/2024, 8:39 PM

Aaron Rodgers had said earlier this week that the Jets must not overreact having lost their season opener. That was a philosophy that served them well during Sunday's game as the Jets were outplayed for most of the first half but able to regroup for a 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Rookie running back Braelon Allen’s two touchdowns included the game-winner in the fourth quarter as Rodgers passed for 176 yards and two touchdowns and the defense, led by Will McDonald’s three sacks, snuffed out a red-zone threat in the closing seconds to preserve the win.

Midway through the second quarter the Jets were struggling badly on both sides of the ball and trailed 7-0 thanks to a Calvin Ridley touchdown run. At that stage, the Jets hadn’t been able to get into any kind of rhythm on offense, having generated just 20 total yards.

The next drive saw them get their short passing game going in timely fashion as Rodgers led a 73-yard touchdown drive which culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass to Allen. However, the Titans were able to drive downfield to kick a field goal as time expired and lead 10-7 at the half.

On their first drive of the second half, the Jets took their first lead when Breece Hall made a leaping 26-yard touchdown catch on Rodgers’ touch pass and then extended it to 17-10 on a Greg Zuerlein field goal.

Tennessee battled back to tie the score late in the third quarter when Ridley scored again, this time on a long pass from Will Levis but the Jets recaptured the lead with 4:31 remaining when Allen scored again, this time on a 20-yard run.

The win came at a cost though. The Jets suffered a potential major loss on defense when Pro Bowl linebacker Jermaine Johnson was carted off in the third quarter with an Achilles injury. Linebacker CJ Mosley was also knocked out of the game. Questions are obviously going to be asked about whether this will affect their approach to the Haason Reddick holdout situation.

Here are the key takeaways...

- The Jets would have been hoping to rattle Levis, but he got off to a solid start by completing his first eight passes. However, his two turnovers in the second quarter helped the Jets get back into the game when it looked like the Jets were certain to be facing a double-digit deficit. On the whole, though, Levis played well, although the Jets did hold him fewer than 200 passing yards.

- A second straight slow start from the Jets was troubling. Prior to the Jets’ first scoring drive, the Titans had outgained them by 122 yards to 20 with 11 first downs to the Jets’ one. They also ran 24 plays on their first three possessions, whereas the Jets ran just 12. The Jets ended up with 265 total yards but have now scored three touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time since October 2022.

- Although they controlled the time of possession early, the Titans didn’t have as much success running the ball as the 49ers did last week. Their two running backs combined for 43 yards on 13 carries in the first half, although Tony Pollard did have a big third-down conversion when he beat Williams on a wheel route and had a couple of big runs in the fourth quarter to end up with 62 yards on 17 carries.

- Another major concern for the Jets is the status of Johnson, who was carted off with the Achilles injury, and Mosley, who left the game with a toe injury in the first half and did not return. With Jamien Sherwood in charge of wearing the defensive headset and making the defensive calls, the defense stabilized eventually, but it’s far from ideal with another game coming up on Thursday.

- Discipline was also a big problem in the first half with the Jets whistled for seven penalties. These included a roughing the passer call on Johnson that negated a third-down stop and two Chuck Clark personal fouls that tacked 15 extra yards onto a couple of big plays. New York played a much cleaner second half and benefited from an important penalty at the start of the second half, as they looked to have gone three-and-out only to be gifted a first down because Jeffrey Simmons made contact with Rodgers’ facemask.

- Hall got off to a slow start and was banged up a little during the first half, in which he ended up with just nine yards on six carries. He showed good burst to break a 30-yard run on the first possession of the second half though, and then made a great play on the go-ahead touchdown catch. He ended up with 114 yards from scrimmage.

- The Jets are relying on more production from McDonald this year and he was credited with two sacks in the first half, albeit that both were coverage sacks. However, his third sack in the last minute was a clutch play which helped preserve the win. McDonald is the first Jet to record three sacks in a game since Jamal Adams -- who ironically made his Titans debut in this game -- in 2019.

- On special teams, Irv Charles deserves a special mention. The player who has been called “an absolute wolf on special teams” by Robert Saleh lived up to that moniker on Sunday as he blew up two punt returns and blocked a punt to set up a second half field goal.

Highlights

What's next

The Jets were already coming off a short week but now face an even shorter week leading up to their home opener Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET against the New England Patriots.

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