The Titans expect their defensive front to dictate games. The Jets ran 39 times for 152 yards, and now Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts bring a tougher test.
By PAUL KUHARSKY
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans want their defensive front to be their identity.
It didn’t show up in the opener.
Zero sacks. Twelve quarterback hits. Thirty-nine rush attempts by the Jets for 152 yards.
That’s not only a failure to set a tone. It’s permission granted for a tone to be set by the opposition.
And while the problems went deeper than two new additions, the initial responses from John Franklin-Myers, the team’s costliest free agent, and Jermaine Johnson, acquired in a trade for 2024 second-rounder T’Vondre Sweat, were underwhelming.
“It wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t enough, not in my eyes,” Johnson said when I asked him to assess his play. He was credited with two tackles and a hit and Sumer Sports counted him for one impact play. Not bad?