Jets look pleasantly professional in Week 1 win over Titans

Aaron Glenn may still get fired. But his Jets have signaled they might be able to keep him employed while reminding us there was good reason to run Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll out of town.

Gang Green looked like a professional football team in Sunday’s season-opening 23-10 road victory over the Titans and their dynamic duo of failed New York coaches. Which, as many of you know, is saying something after last season.

Some of this has to be taken with a grain of salt because, you know, Saleh and Daboll. But quarterback Geno Smith was efficient and the offense made plays while the defense shut down Tennessee’s Cam Ward and whatever it is that Daboll was trying to do in his debut as Titans offensive coordinator after Saleh inexplicably hired him after Tennessee inexplicably hired him. The Titans tacked on a touchdown late to make things look more respectable, but they were incompetent otherwise. A smidge of gas, plenty of brake.

Smith finished 19-of-24 for 215 yards. Running back Breece Hall ran for 102 yards and a touchdown and receiver Garrett Wilson hauled in six catches for 79 yards. Adonai Mitchell (three catches for 60 yards) and rookie Omar Cooper (30-yard reception) also flashed; Cooper was knocked out of the game due to injury. Veteran linebacker Demario Davis did exactly what you’d expect, leading the way with eight tackles.

It was not all perfect. The offense sputtered a bit in the first half and let the hapless Titans hang around too long. And kicker Jason Sanders had perhaps the ugliest field goal attempt in the history of western civilization, although he bounced back to connect on two 50-plus kicks in the second half.

This does feel a bit like 1-0 going on 1-3 with a trio of NFC North contenders — home against the Packers, at the Lions, at the Bears — up next. But the Jets have clearly upgraded their personnel and they now have a functioning offense under new coordinator Frank Reich. And the schedule does lighten up a bit in the second month. So it’s not hard to envision this team hanging around .500 come November. The bottom likely falls out from there, but this appears to be a team capable of winning 5-7 games. That likely means Glenn gets a third year. And it definitely means the Jets won’t be as irrelevant or unwatchable as they have been.