NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Jets truly seized control of Sunday’s 23-10 season-opening win over the Titans with one punishing offensive series in the first half.
Already leading 7-3, the Jets took possession of the ball with 1:51 remaining in the first quarter and went 19 plays for 74 yards in 11 minutes, 48 seconds.
After stalling in the red zone, they came away with only a field goal on that series to take a 10-3 lead with 5:03 remaining in the first half, but a tone had been set by their offensive line and running backs that the Titans never recovered from.
“It felt like I hadn’t practiced in a few weeks by the end of that drive,’’ Jets running back Breece Hall said. “But it was great, because those are the drives that wear a defense down in a game. Our O-line, we ran the ball a lot with a few passes mixed in, and they relied heavily on me and Braelon [Allen].
“We beat them up up-front and wore them out. That drive was definitely one of the defining drives of the game.’’
Jets guard Joe Tippmann called the drive “exhausting.’’
Imagine how the Titans defense, on the field for that long in temperatures that reached the mid-90s, felt.
“It was hot out there, and 19 plays … I think that’s the most I’ve ever done on a single drive,’’ Tippmann said. “Still, regardless, it’s a good feeling to get out there and pull that off. For me personally it’s a record, so I’m excited about it. I wish we could’ve capped it off with a touchdown, but I’m proud of the guys and proud of the way they attacked.’’
Of the 19 plays, the Jets ran 14 designed runs, and quarterback Geno Smith scrambled once.
They converted two fourth downs on the drive, but settled for a 33-yard Jason Sanders field goal.
“I feel like we left about 17 points out there,’’ Hall said of the missed scoring chances.
Asked about the offensive line, Hall said, “The offensive line has to be the strength of every team, so that’s a given. You won’t find an O-line in this league that doesn’t take pride in that. It was cool that the coaches leaned on them heavily on the run game, which made my job and Braelon’s job easy, and we were very successful because of it.’’
The Jets finished with 38:46 time of possession to just 21:14 for the Titans.
Jets coach Aaron Glenn said his halftime message to the team was about “competitive stamina.’’
“That’s what we’re trying to build with this team,’’ Glenn said. “It’s not just about competing when you’re tired, though that’s part of it. It’s about how long you can compete. It’s easy to compete in the first quarter, but the third and fourth quarters tell the real story. I thought our guys did a really good job of that.’’
