Preview, forecast, what to look out for

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A behind-the-scenes look at the Jets’ game against the Titans in Week 1 of the NFL on Sunday at Nissan Stadium:

Marquee Duel

Titans WR Calvin Ridley vs. Jets CB Sauce Gardner

Ridley was one of the biggest free agent signings of the offseason, receiving a four-year, $92 million contract from Tennessee.

He caught three passes for 50 yards in his debut for the Titans last week and the Jets know what he is capable of.

“He is a true [No. 1 receiver],” said coach Robert Saleh. “He's an elite player, has elite skills as a receiver and is obviously a guy who can make life difficult for you.”

There's no guarantee we'll see much Ridley vs. Gardner on Sunday, but the two should face off a few times.

Gardner had another strong game in coverage against the 49ers, despite missing nine plays in the second quarter because he ran out of steam.

The Jets bypassed Gardner a bit last week.

He dropped coverage once to cover George Kittle and followed Brandon Aiyuk later in the game.

The Jets could opt to have Gardner travel with Ridley for a bit on Sunday.

“I mean, we're going to do that a little bit,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said of Gardner's deployment following a receiver. “We have a special talent in No. 1 and Sauce, he can do some things that are so unique and special. We're going to try to take advantage of them as best we can and unfortunately sometimes those things get lost in a game like this, but I thought he did an extremely good job in coverage, really.”

Costello's call

The Jets made a poor impression in their opening game in San Francisco.

Can they recover in Tennessee?

I think the Titans are better than most people think, especially on defense.

I have a feeling the Jets offense is going to have trouble moving the ball here and that the Titans are going to be able to run the ball and put the Jets back to 0-2.

Titans 20, Jets 17

Four Downs

Running Rodgers: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers answered some questions last week about what he would look like at age 40 and after major surgery.

Rodgers made some beautiful throws and scored two touchdowns.

However, he was not forced to move much because the pass protection was good.

It will be interesting to see if the Titans pass rush can get to Rodgers this week and if he can get away from him.

“I've always played with the ability to extend plays,” Rodgers said. “Now that's changed. The ability was less the ability to run 400 yards or 300-plus yards in the season, but more the ability to extend the space to throw. But you know, I did that a lot in practice. I did some of that in the joint practices, so I didn't have to [against the 49ers]the protection was so good.”

Adjust the bull: It's not often that a position coach gets so much attention before a game, but Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan is no ordinary position coach.

Callahan has 46 years of experience and is considered one of the best O-line coaches of all time.

When his son Brian was hired as the Titans' head coach this year, the elder Callahan joined his staff.

Callahan was the Browns' O-line coach and Cleveland has been successful against the Jets every year for the past two years.

In 2022, the Browns gained 184 yards rushing, and last year they had 127 yards on the ground.

After last week's chaos in San Francisco, the Jets now have to contend with Callahan and his running attack led by Tony Pollard.

Search for options: Entering last week's game, the Jets' offense was almost entirely controlled by Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.

Relying on these two young stars is understandable, but the Jets need to find other options on offense.

Tight end Tyler Conklin was targeted only once by Rodgers, and the quarterback admitted this week that he needs to involve others.

“I would like [Conklin] involved and [Jeremy Ruckert] involved and [Xavier Gipson] involved and Mike [Williams] involved. A lot of it is just play,” Rodgers said. “You have 49 plays. You only have a certain number of opportunities.”

A test of will: There seems to be one area where the Jets are completely out of balance: their pass defense against Titans quarterback Will Levis.

The second-year quarterback had a rough first game last week, throwing for just 127 yards and having two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, effectively losing the Titans the game.

The Jets' defenders expect to eat him.

“[Levis is] “He's a talented athlete and can throw the ball pretty well,” Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson said, “but if you just watch the film and understand a few things about him, especially when he comes out, you realize he's one of those guys that when things don't go the way he wants, he can panic quickly.”