Things haven't gone as the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans hoped these past few seasons, but they won't lack storylines when they meet Sunday in Nashville.
Titans Robert Saleh will face the franchise that fired him during the 2024 season.
Quarterback Geno Smith will make his regular-season return to the organization that drafted him in 2013. New York head coach Aaron Glenn will make his debut as a full-time defensive play caller, while offensive coordinator Frank Reich unveils his offense for the first time in a game that counts.
Apparently, that's still not enough to generate much national excitement.In a recent ranking of all 16 Week 1 matchups, Sports Illustrated placed Jets vs. Titans 15th overall, making it the second-lowest ranked game
on the opening-week schedule.
Only the Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders received a lower ranking. SI pointed to the Saleh reunion as the primary storyline while noting New York's defensive additions, including defenders DeMario Davis and Minkah Fitzpatrick. He also highlighted Tennessee entering the second season of the QB Cam Ward era.
More intrigue than the ranking suggests
On the surface, it's easy to understand why the matchup landed near the bottom of the rankings. Neither team reached the playoffs last season, and both enter 2026 attempting to prove they're headed in the right direction. National audiences typically gravitate toward marquee quarterback matchups, division rivalries, and games featuring established contenders.
The Jets and Titans don't neatly fit any of those categories.
Still, there are several reasons this game could be more compelling than its ranking suggests. The Saleh storyline alone has dominated discussion throughout the week, while the Jets are one of the league's more difficult teams to project after overhauling key parts of the roster and coaching staff.
Whether the game ultimately justifies its low ranking remains to be seen. But if the Jets leave Nashville with a victory, few inside the organization will care where the matchup landed on anyone's preseason list.
The only ranking that matters Sunday is the one that shows New York sitting at 1-0.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets vs. Titans named one of NFL's least appealing Week 1 games
