A day after exiting the Jets' 24-17 season-opening win over the Titans on a stretcher, edge defender Jermaine Johnson confirmed on social media that he had sustained a torn Achilles tendon.

"I did tear my Achilles, but we good man," Johnson said in a video he posted on X. "We in great spirits, we're going to get back right. Come on, this is just an opportunity to brag about what I came from, so let's get it."

Johnson, who was injured in the third quarter, earned his first Pro Bowl invite last season after racking up 7.5 sacks and 16 QB hits while adding 55 tackles and 11 TFL.

"You hate to see anybody go down with an injury like that," said TE Tyler Conklin. "I guess the one positive about it is Jermaine being who Jermaine is. I know he'll handle it better than anybody. He's going to attack it with everything he's got, and I know he'll come back better than he was before. It helps to have players that have gone through similar things, like Aaron (Rodgers) and AVT (Alijah Vera-Tucker). Having the group we have here in the locker room and whatnot, I think that would be really helpful for him too, to be able to lean on guys and have some support going through this process."

Minus Johnson and with Haason Reddick holding out, the Jets' edge group includes Will McDonald IV, Micheal Clemons, Takk McKinley and rookies Braiden McGregor and Eric Watts.

"It's a loss with an All-Pro caliber kind of guy," said DT Quinnen Williams. "But we have a lot of guys in our room right now like Will McDonald, who had an amazing game, you've got Micheal Clemons, who has been playing great in training camp and last weekend and also this week. I think we have a bunch of good guys who are ready to step up, take on that great role and leave on the field what Jermiane would have left."

McDonald, the Jets' first-round pick in 2023, matched his rookie sack total with 3 sacks against the Titans.

"The kind of caliber of a guy that he is with the spin moves, with the power moves, with the run stops, the edges," Williams said of McDonald. "To see the kind of caliber a guy that he is, the athletic ability that he can bring to this team, that he can bring to this defense is unbelievable. So, to continue to see him grow, develop and get comfortable with the things he is doing is going to be unbelievable for the future."

According to Pro Football Focus, the Jets are No. 3 in pressure rate at 42% and fourth in sack rate at 12.8%.

Not a Finished Product
The Jets have had some decent early offensive returns, producing 3 TDs in each of their first two games against the 49ers and the Titans. The Jets rushed for a modest 101 yards against Tennessee, but Breece Hall exploded for a 30-yard run during a third quarter scoring drive and rookie Braelon Allen's 20-yard scamper in the fourth stanza was the decisive score.

"This past Sunday was better than Monday's showing against San Fran," said RT Morgan Moses. "But I think everybody is still taking their turns of getting comfortable. Obviously playing football beside each other and communicating out there. But I think we took some strides on Sunday in the run game to get some things moving and going. So not the best outing, but definitely a step forward in the right direction."

With Sunday's game knotted at 17, Rodgers led a 7-play, 74-yard scoring drive when he went 5-of-5 for 60 yards.

"He commands greatness out of everybody," Moses said. "So anytime you break the huddle and you know you are going down on a drive and you have to score and you have a guy like that who is willing to take the time to make sure everybody is on the same page and everybody knows what's going on around us, the time left on the clock, when we need a big play and just everything, just the comfortability he brings to the offense knowing he's been in the league for a while, it's very calming, it's very calming for the offensive group."

TE Tyler Conklin added of Rodgers: "Having him back there you feel like you always have a chance. I think we'd also like to not start the games as slow as we've started the last two weeks, but week-in and week-out we're going to always feel like we have a chance, especially with 8 back there and with the talent we have on this offense, the offensive line, and every position group, but obviously it always feels really good to have him back there."

Returning to the Home of the Jets
The Jets were the visitors Sunday in Nashville, but the Green & White faithful made themselves at home in the Music City.

"My mom was down there, and she texted me the night before because she was out and all she kept talking about was how many Jets fans are everywhere," TE Tyler Conklin said. "They were at every bar, everywhere they went."

And they were vocal throughout a seesaw affair that wasn't decided until S Tony Adams knocked down Will Levis' fourth-down pass with 17 seconds remaining.

"We went to Tennessee and probably half the stadium were Jets fans," said DT Quinnen Williams.

After a short week, the Jets will embark on a shorter week with Thursday's home opener against the Patriots (1-1) on the horizon.

"It was a phenomenal outing in Nashville," said RT Morgan Moses. "Just to come out the tunnel and have your fans there and really it almost became a home game for us at one point the way our fans were out there cheering us on and that's what you want. We've always had a great fan base, we've always had a hungry fan base to be able to see opportunities of winning and things like that. With the home opener coming in on Thursday, we're expecting it to be 10 times better."

After ending a 15-game losing streak to the Patriots last January, the Jets will look to capture their first home victory over the Pats since Dec. 27, 2015.

"I'm super excited man for the fans man," Williams said. "To be going home to our own stadium at a where the Jets fans can come and turn up, man it's going to be unbelievable, so definitely got to be super prepared so we can bring the win."