Jets' victory shows widening chasm between New York, Tennessee

With a 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans, the New York Jets have improved to 3-0 and created a deep hole for the now 0-3 Titans that, if not insurmountable, will certainly provide a huge uphill battle for them.

"We're in a tough spot," said Titans quarterback Kerry Collins. "We put ourselves in it. But it's a long season. A lot can happen. It's frustrating, but by no means can we start pointing fingers. It's up to the veteran guys to keep this thing together."

It was a sparkling run last year as the Tennessee Titans racked up 10 wins in their first 10 games before the Jets ended that win streak in Week 12 at Tennessee.

With Super Bowl talk underway early, the Titans ultimately finished the season 13-3, were the No. 1 seed in the AFC and finally fell to the Baltimore Ravens (with then-defensive coordinator Rex Ryan) in the divisional round of the playoffs.

In New York, the Jets were also showing signs of making a run, compiling an 8-3 record before collapsing behind an injured Brett Favre and a defense that had new schemes installed more than halfway through the year. The team lost four of its final five games and was shut out of the playoffs.

Running back Leon Washington described the change to the Jets' overall personality and mindset between the end of last year and the beginning of this season.

"The thing that is so different about this team is we expect to win every game," he said. "We're resilient, we don't give up. The funny thing is we've got a lot of improvements we can make."

Coming into 2009 there were a variety of expectations as well as anticipation for both teams. Could the Titans repeat and better what they did in 2008? What would become of the Jets behind a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback?

For the Jets, so far so good; for the Titans, not so much.

The 2009 Titans and Jets are about as different as two teams could be. The Titans feature the league's longest-tenured head coach in Jeff Fisher (who has been at the helm since 1994 and whose coaching career started under Buddy Ryan -- father of Jets head coach Rex Ryan), and one of the oldest passers in 15-year veteran Collins.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Jets have a rookie head coach in Ryan and rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, who the Jets selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft out of Southern California after having started just 16 college games. Now both teams have surprised the league after just three games.

In spite of their record, the Titans came into Week 3 second in the league in run defense, although sitting last in pass defense, while the Jets remain in the top third in all categories.

So how does all of this bode for the rest of the season?

The Jets are enthusiastic about their 3-0 start under rookie QB Mark Sanchez. (US Presswire)

"We've lost three games by a total of 13 points," said Titans center Kevin Mawae. "We have to get back to work. We know we have a lot of talent."

Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse added, "We're ticked off. We had a chance to be 3-0. We just let things get away from us."

Now veterans like Kearse and Mawae need to keep the team focused.

"We've just got to remind guys it's a 16-game season," said Kearse. "We've got 13 ballgames left."

As for the Jets, they are completely on board with Ryan's edict to provide continuous support of their teammates, no matter what position or unit -- to the great satisfaction of the head coach.

"That's the beauty of this team," said Ryan. "Both sides pick each other up and special teams pick up both of them."

That sentiment is parroted over and over by his players as well.

"Each week it seems like every phase has its moment," said Sanchez. "We're in this thing together. It's not just about offense, it's not just about defense, it's not just about special teams."

However, the team must guard against complacency, which they are also very much aware of.

"[This win] doesn't mean anything," said defensive end Shaun Ellis. "We had a goal that we wanted to go 3-0. We're taking it one step at a time. Focus on this game and put it all out there. Our goal is to go out every Sunday and put it all on the line. This is just another step."

Linebacker Bart Scott, known to many as the "Mad Backer," echoed this sentiment. "There's no letdown on this team. We respect every opponent. We're going to stay consistent."