Skip navigation

Surprising Jets get ready for 10-0 Titans

Winners of four straight games play at Tennessee on Sunday

Image: Packers fan
Doug Pensinger / Getty Images
A Packers fan in a Brett Favre jersey displays the record of the Jets while watching the Bears-Packers game on Sunday.
ProFootballTalk’s Picks
Chicago Bears v Denver Broncos
Bears will claw 49ers
San Francisco’s talking a big game, but Jay Cutler and Chicago will find a way to win Thursday.

ProFootballTalk.com

Video: Football from NBC Sports
Sunday night showdown
Nov. 11: Rodney Harrison believes containing Indy's Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark are two of the keys for New England on Sunday night.

Slideshow
Image: Green Bay Packers v Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  Sideline support
Check out some of the NFL cheerleaders from across the league.

more photos

updated 8:10 p.m. ET Nov. 17, 2008

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The New York Jets had a few days off to celebrate their big win at New England and get away from football for a little while.

The break’s over now. Next stop: undefeated Tennessee.

“They don’t make a lot of mistakes,” coach Eric Mangini said Monday of the 10-0 Titans. “They haven’t turned the ball over much offensively and they’ve been able to generate a lot of turnovers defensively, and that always goes a long way to winning and losing.”

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

All that leads to, well, a titanic challenge Sunday for a Jets team that has won four straight and six of seven, and sits alone atop the AFC East for the first time in seven years.

“They play complementary football, and they’re talented in all three phases,” Mangini said. “They’re well-coached, they score a lot of points in the second quarter and the fourth quarter, which makes you believe that they’re very well-conditioned.”

And the Jets (7-3) should be well rested for their big game. After beating the Patriots 34-31 in overtime last Thursday, the players had the equivalent of a mini-bye. They also had off from speaking with the media Monday.

“I really like the chance to get the guys away from the building a little bit, to get them a chance to get off their feet, relax, do all those things that typically you do during a bye weekend,” Mangini said. “Over the last couple years, our byes have come later than earlier. This was a bit different for us this year. So it’s nice to have this time.”

Mangini caught some of the Titans’ 24-14 comeback over Jacksonville on Sunday — “There was some competing interests there at the house” — and was looking forward to viewing the coaches’ film. He’ll probably see a confident group of Titans players, a few of whom said they feel they can’t be beaten if they continue playing as they have.

“You always want your guys to have the mentality that they can’t lose,” Mangini said. “I think that’s a great spirit to have in any locker room, so I’m sure they’re really happy that they have that right now. We go into every game with the assumption that we’re going to win, as well.”

After the win over the Patriots, running back Leon Washington said the Jets also have that mentality — something that has developed since their last loss at Oakland last month.

“It’s what you’re looking for in a locker room,” Mangini said. “It’s much better than sitting there waiting for the other shoe to drop in any given game where you think, ’OK, it’s going well, but what’s going to happen?”’

Special feature
Oakland Raiders v Miami Dolphins
NFL's top shots
A look at the best photos from Week 11, including a primal scream from Joey Porter.

NBCSports.com

The Jets’ offense has been clicking lately, with Thomas Jones leading the AFC in rushing with 854 yards and Brett Favre efficiently running things. Favre, who struggled through a mistake-filled stretch a few weeks ago, has not thrown an interception in his last two games and has been sacked only four times in the last four weeks.

Favre and his offense will have a tough task against the Titans’ defense, which is ranked sixth in the NFL and has given up the fewest points in the league behind defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

“They have the ability to rush the passer with a down lineman,” Mangini said. “They can bring combinations of blitzes if they want to do that. They play man coverage; they play zone coverage; they play some combination coverages, half-man, half-zone. So, it’s varied from that perspective.”

Slide show
Image: AEK Athens' Nemeth reacts after a Europa League soccer match against BATE Borisov in Athens
  Week in Sports Pictures
Flying on the hardwood, racing on the rink, getting physical on the gridiron, and much more.

more photos

The Jets’ defense, particularly the front seven, has been nearly as stout. New York ranks fourth in the league against the run, and third with 34 sacks. Tennessee might be the perfect test with the Titans ranked seventh in rushing behind rookie Chris Johnson and LenDale White. Quarterback Kerry Collins has also had plenty of time to throw, having been sacked just five times.

“This time of the season, you’re really looking to be playing at a consistent level because each game becomes that much more important as you get down here through the last six games,” Mangini said. “A lot of things are decided over the course of the next six weeks, obviously, so you’re looking to play at as consistent a level as you can and work as hard as you possibly could to avoid a letdown in any situation.”

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored links