New York @ Tennessee preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 17, 2012 ) N.Y. Jets 10, Tennessee 14

Two of the league's early-season surprise teams will square off when the Tennessee Titans host the New York Jets on Sunday. Both squads are off to 2-1 starts, an unexpected development given that the Jets and Titans each staggered through 6-10 campaigns in 2012. Rookie quarterback Geno Smith has defied the early prognostications for New York, which mirrors Tennessee's game plan by relying on a strong defense and solid running game.

The Titans - much like the Jets - entered the season with questions about their quarterback situation due to Jake Locker's inconsistency and inability to stay healthy in his first two seasons. Locker has the luxury of leaning on speedy running back Chris Johnson, who leads the AFC with 256 yards rushing and burned New York with a 94-yard scoring run last season. He'll be tested by a defense that is surrendering only 79.7 yards on the ground.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Titans -3.5. O/U: 39.5.

ABOUT THE JETS (2-1): Smith rebounded from a three-interception fourth quarter against New England to become the first rookie in franchise history to top 300 yards by throwing for 331 in last week's 27-20 victory over Buffalo. Although he was picked off twice versus the Bills, Smith has developed a nice rapport with wideout Santonio Holmes, who had five receptions for a career-high 154 yards, including a 69-yard scoring strike for the go-ahead touchdown. Bilal Powell rushed for a career-high 149 yards and New York's defense, which is permitting 16.7 points per game, had eight sacks against the Bills.

ABOUT THE TITANS (2-1): Locker tossed a 34-yard touchdown pass to rookie Justin Hunter with 15 seconds to play to cap a 299-yard performance and lift Tennessee to a dramatic 20-17 win over San Diego last week. Locker was a turnover machine in 2012 with 15 in 11 games, but the Titans are one of two teams that has yet to commit one and are an overtime loss at Houston away from being undefeated. Nate Washington is coming off an eight-catch, 131-yard performance, but the biggest turnaround has been on defense, where the Titans are yielding 18.7 points after surrendering a league-worst 471 points last season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Jets had a franchise first last week with with a 300-yard passer, two 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher.

2. The Titans have not scored more than 17 points against New York in seven straight meetings.

3. New York committed a franchise-record 20 penalties last week and leads the league with 34 while the Titans have been whistled for 26.

PREDICTION: Jets 20, Titans 19