NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans (0-2) play the first of two consecutive road games this week, traveling to New York to face the Jets (2-0) in an “American Football League Legacy Game.” Kickoff at the Meadowlands (capacity 80,062) is scheduled for noon CDT on Sunday, Sept. 27. The public is reminded that the kickoff time was changed shortly after the schedule’s initial release in April.
To celebrate the 50th season since the AFL was formed, select Legacy Games in 2009 will feature teams wearing throwback uniforms. The Titans will don a version of their 1960 AFL Championship team uniforms in three regular season games, including this week at New York.
The Jets, like the Titans, were charter members of the AFL in 1960. From the league’s founding through the 1962 season, they played as the New York Titans before being renamed the Jets for the 1963 season.
THE BROADCAST
The game will be televised regionally on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5. Greg Gumbel will handle play-by-play duties, while Dan Dierdorf will provide color commentary.
The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 103.3-WKDF, will broadcast the game across the Mid-South with the “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith, color commentator Frank Wycheck, sideline reporter Cody Allison and gameday host Larry Stone.
LAST WEEK
The Titans lost their second consecutive game to start the season last week, dropping a 34-31 contest to the Houston Texans.
In defeat, running back Chris Johnson accumulated 284 scrimmage yards (197 rushing, 87 receiving), the second-highest total in team history. He also became the first player in NFL
history to record a 90-plus yard rushing touchdown (91), another 50-plus yard rushing touchdown (57) and a 60-plus yard receiving touchdown (69) in the same game.
THE JETS
If the Titans are going to get their first win of the season, they will have to do so against a Jets team that has marched out to an impressive 2-0 start. The Jets opened the season with a 24-7 road victory against the Houston Texans, and last week they battled for a 16-9 win against the AFC East rival New England Patriots.
The Jets took upon significant change for 2009. Last year’s starting quarterback, Brett Favre, has been replaced in the lineup by rookie Mark Sanchez. Sanchez, a first-round draft pick from USC, has a 91.3 passer rating in his first two NFL games.
The Jets’ most significant change during the 2009 offseason occured when Rex Ryan was hired to replace former head coach Eric Mangini. Ryan spent the past 10 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, including the final four years there as the defensive coordinator.
This will be the fourth consecutive year the Titans have played the Jets but the first time the game has been played at the Meadowlands since 2003, when the Jets outlasted the Titans on a Monday night. Last year the Jets won 34-13 at LP Field to end the Titans’ 10-game winning streak to begin the season.
