Tennessee Titans to play New York Jets Sunday at LP Field

Tennessee Titans (2-1) vs. New York Jets (2-1)

Sunday, September 29th, 2013 | 3:05pm CDT
LP Field | Nashville, TN | TV: CBS

Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Titans (2-1) play their second of three consecutive home games this week, welcoming the New York Jets (2-1) to LP Field (capacity 69,143). Kickoff is scheduled for 3:05pm CDT on Sunday, September 29th.

This week’s game will be televised regionally on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF News-Channel 5. Greg Gumbel will handle play-by-play duties while Dan Dierdorf provides analysis.

The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone, will broadcast the game across the Mid-South with the “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith, analyst Frank Wycheck, sideline reporter Cody Allison and gameday host Larry Stone.

Additionally, Sports USA will broadcast the game to a national radio audience. Adam Amin (playby-play), Doug Plank (analyst) and Justin Cazana (sideline reporter) will have the call.

Last Week Against San Diego Chargers

The Titans played their home opener last week against the San Diego Chargers and pulled out a dramatic 20-17 victory. Quarterback Jake Locker completed the game-winning, 34-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Justin Hunter with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The score capped a 94-yard drive that began with 2:05 on the clock and no timeouts remaining for the Titans.

Locker, who made his 14th career start last week, had one of his most productive games as a pro, completing 23 of 37 passes for 299 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions (96.6 passer rating). He added 68 rushing yards and a touchdown on five rushing attempts, giving him 367 combined rushing and passing yards.

Eight of Locker’s completions went to ninth-year wide receiver Nate Washington, who set a new career high with 131 receiving yards. Washington was one of six players to catch at least one pass during the late touchdown drive.

Meanwhile, running back Chris Johnson contributed 90 yards on 19 rushing attempts, doing his part to help the Titans control the ball for more than 31 out of 60 minutes. It was the Titans’ third consecutive game with a time of possession above 30 minutes, and they also became the fifth NFL team in the Super Bowl era to commit zero turnovers through their first three games of the season.

The Titans defense allowed only 277 total yards in the game (compared to 452 by the Titans) and limited the Chargers to three of nine on third down.

The defense ranks in the upper half of the league in several categories through three weeks, including points allowed per game (11th with 18.7), yards allowed (eighth with 307.7) and sacks (tied for eighth with nine).

The New York Jets

The Jets are in their fifth season under head coach Rex Ryan. In four previous years under Ryan, the Jets finished in the NFL’s top five in defense three times and led the NFL in passing defense over that span.

Jets began the 2013 campaign with a last-second, 18-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and followed that with a narrow 13-10 loss at the New England Patriots in Week 2.

In Week 3, the Jets hosted the Buffalo Bills and earned their second win of the season. Geno Smith’s second touchdown pass of the game, a 69-yard completion to Santonio Holmes, was the difference in a 27-20 victory. Bilal Powell rushed for 149 yards for the Jets, while on the defensive side of the ball, seven different Jets contributed to eight total sacks.

Smith has started each of the first three games this season The second-round pick out of West Virginia has completed 55 of 102 passes for 801 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions.

Play It Forward Equipment Drive

At the Titans-Jets game this week, fans are encouraged to participate in the Sports Fund Play It Forward Sports Equipment Drive. Volunteers for the Sports Fund, an initiative of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, will be positioned outside of LP Field before the game to collect donations of new and gently-used sports equipment.

Items collected will be sorted and distributed to local nonprofits which fit The Fund’s mission of providing team membership experiences to at-risk youth in the 40 counties of Middle Tennessee.

Titans-Jets Series At A Glance

• Overall series (regular & postseason): Titans lead 23-17-1
• Regular season series: Titans lead 22-17-1
• Postseason series: Titans lead 1-0
• Total points: Titans 965, Jets 863
• Current streak: One win by Titans
• Titans at home vs. Jets: 17-6 (including 1-0 in playoffs)
• Titans on road vs. Jets: 6-11-1
• Longest winning streak by Titans: 6 (twice, last 1991-96)
• Longest losing streak by Titans: 4 (1968-69)
• Titans vs. Jets at LP Field: 2-2
• Last time at LP Field: Jets 10 at Titans 14 (12/17/12)
• Titans vs. Jets at MetLife Stadium: 0-0
• Last time at MetLife Stadium: (none)
• Last time at the Meadowlands: Titans 17 at Jets 24 (9/27/09)
• First time: N.Y. Jets 21 at Oilers 27 (10/9/60)
• Mike Munchak’s record vs. Jets: 1-0
• Rex Ryan’s record vs. Titans: 1-1
• Mike Munchak’s record vs. Rex Ryan: 1-0

A Titans Victory Would

• Give the Titans four consecutive wins at LP Field, dating back to 2012. They have not won four straight home games since a five game home winning streak in 2009.
• Give the Titans an all-time record of 71-43 in regular-season games at LP Field.
• Improve Mike Munchak’s career record as a head coach to 18-18.
• Give Jake Locker a 7-8 career record as a starting quarterback.

What To Look For This Week

The Titans can extend their streak to four consecutive games to begin the season without committing a turnover.

S Michael Griffin can play in his 100th career game.

RB Chris Johnson can record the 34th 100-yard rushing game of his career.

RB Chris Johnson needs two touchdowns to become the fourth player in franchise history with 50 touchdowns, joining Eddie George (74), Earl Campbell (73) and Charlie Hennigan (51).

WR Nate Washington can extend his streak of consecutive games with at least one reception to 82 (68 games with the Titans).

WR Nate Washington (4,957 career receiving yards) needs 43 receiving yards to reach 5,000 for his career.

Titans-Jets Series History

This is the 42nd all-time meeting between the Titans and Jets in 54 seasons. The Titans are 23-17-1 in the series, including 1-0 in the playoffs. This is the fifth time in the last seven seasons the teams have played and the second consecutive season in which they have met at LP Field.

The Jets have won five out of the last seven meetings, dating back to 1998. The two Titans wins during that time frame occurred in 2007 and 2012 at LP Field.

In the 2007 contest (December 23rd, 2007), the Titans won 10-6 after the defense sacked Jets quarterback Chad Pennington six times and intercepted him twice.

The 2012 game was played on Monday night, December 17th. The Titans forced five total Jets turnovers—four interceptions and one fumble—and Chris Johnson set a franchise record with a 94-yard touchdown run in the 14-10 victory.

The last time the team’s met on Jets home turf was September 27th, 2009. The Titans came back from an early 14-point deficit to take a 17-14 lead in the third quarter. However, four turnovers, including two interceptions and two fumbles on special teams, were too untimely to overcome, and the Jets prevailed 24-17.

The Jets, like the then-Houston Oilers, were charter members of the American Football League. From the league’s founding in 1960 through the 1962 season, they played as the New York Titans before being renamed the Jets for the 1963 season. With the exception of 1967, the Jets and Oilers played twice each season from 1960-69, and the Oilers won the first six meetings in the series.

In 1991, the Oilers began another string of six consecutive victories against the Jets, including a 17-10 victory in a 1991 AFC Wild Card Game.

Titans-Jets: The Last Meeting

New York Jets 10 at Tennessee Titans 14
Monday, December 17th, 2012
LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

 

In Week 15 of the 2012 campaign, the Titans forced five turnovers and used a record setting run by Chris Johnson to earn a 14-10 victory over the New York Jets at LP Field.

In a Monday night game controlled largely by the two defenses, the Titans came up with bigger plays. Cornerback Jason McCourty and safety Michael Griffin each recorded a pair of interceptions, and linebacker Zach Brown sealed the victory with a fumble recovery inside the final minute.

It was Johnson, however, that provided the most memorable highlight. With the Titans trailing 3-0 in the second quarter, he took a handoff from Jake Locker on second-and-nine and sprinted 94 yards for a touchdown. The run set a new franchise record (91 yards, twice, by Sid Blanks and Johnson) and was the second-longest run in the history of Monday Night Football (99 yards by Tony Dorsett). Johnson finished the game with 21 carries for 122 yards (5.8 avg.).

Locker limited his mistakes despite being sacked four times. He completed 13 of 22 passes for 149 yards with no interceptions and also rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

On defense, the Titans limited Jets quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow to a combined 13-of-29 for 131 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions with four sacks. The Titans did just enough to make up for a 2-of-13 performance on third down (15 percent) and 14 total penalties for 111 yards.

Early in the game, the Jets took advantage of a missed Titans field goal and marched downfield, helped by three Titans penalties. On third-and-goal from the four-yard line, Sanchez threw to tight end Jeff Cumberland in the end zone. The play was ruled a touchdown on the field, but after a replay review, the call was overturned and ruled incomplete. Nick Folk made a 22-yard field goal to give the Jets a 3-0 lead.

With nine minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Titans took the lead, courtesy of Johnson. On a second-and-nine play, he rushed up the middle unscathed and outran the Jets defenders to the goal line.

The score remained 7-3 until late in the third quarter, when Sanchez found Cumberland for a touchdown.

The Titans responded with a seven-play, 64-yard drive. Locker completed passes for 21 yards to Michael Preston, 12 yards to Nate Washington and 13 yards to Kendall Wright. He then ran into the end zone on a 13-yard run to put the Titans back on top 14-10.

In the fourth quarter, the teams exchanged punts before Griffin provided his first takeaway. He picked off a deep pass by Sanchez intended for Braylon Edwards and returned the ball 26 yards.

On the Jets’ next drive, they drove from their own eight-yard line to the Tennessee 23.

But on the first play after the two-minute warning, Griffin stepped in front of a Sanchez pass to Cumberland at the two-yard line.

Following another Titans punt—Brett Kern’s 10th of the game—the Jets had the ball at the Tennessee 25 with 47 seconds to play. But Sanchez mishandled a shotgun snap from center Nick Mangold, and Brown recovered the ball to ice the outcome.