The Titans return to Nissan Stadium for their home opener against the Jets with plenty to clean up and try to fix after their collapse Sunday in Chicago.
First down
Learn and move on. Quarterback Will Levis pledged to learn from his season-opening mistakes and work to clean things up as the Titans face Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. There won’t be time to dwell on mistakes, but the Titans offense must run more smoothly in terms of execution. Penalties and runs for losses were as much a problem as the pressure on Levis from the pass rush. That must be curtailed against the Jets.
Second down
Adapt and survive. The Titans had their way with Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams in his first NFL start, but things will be vastly different this week as they get ready to take on the oldest quarterback in the league in Aaron Rodgers. That also means they have to prepare for a quarterback who has seen just about everything, and will have far more answers for what the Titans show on defense than Williams did.
Third down
More explosive plays. The Titans had just two explosive plays in the opener, and both were on downfield throws from Levis to Calvin Ridley. One thing missing was the yards after catch plays on the screens and short to intermediate routes. The Titans have to do a better job of scheming things up and executing to get more big plays on offense.
Fourth down
Fix the special teams. The Titans’ special teams were often disastrous under Craig Aukerman the previous couple of seasons. Nothing was worse than the consecutive blocked punts against Ryan Stonehouse that caused a season-ending injury in 2023.
In Stonehouse’s first game back, another punt got blocked and returned for a pivotal TD. New special teams coordinator Colt Anderson has to get those miscues, plus the long kickoff and punt returns given up in the opener fixed ASAP.