Who doesn’t love an underdog? Week 1 projections are always a relative shot in the dark, as it’s borderline impossible to know what a team is capable of before they take the field. That sentiment is especially true with a completely redone team like the Tennessee Titans.

So, fans shouldn’t take it to heart that ESPN analysts ( Pamela Maldonado, Eric Moody, and Seth Walder) have all predicted a Titans loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. It stings to imagine Robert Saleh going 0-1 at the hands of his former team, but that reality is far from fixed even now.

From the outside looking in, there are plenty of reasons to think that Tennessee could have the upper hand here. I might even go as far as to say that folks are underestimating this Titans team, and that unanimously writing them off isn’t justified.

At least, not yet.

The Titans can't be written off just yet

It makes enough sense to favor the Jets on some level. Geno Smith at QB, for all of the interceptions he tends to throw, has been at this a lot longer than Cam Ward. Paired with new and experienced OC Frank Reich, New York's offense will present a challenge out of the gate for Tennessee.

That's a challenge that Saleh himself is well aware of. But Ward and the Titans offense underwent perhaps one of the most intense rebuilds of any unit in the league this offseason, and the potential therein is arguably greater than the Jets' offering.

The catch with the Titans is that we haven't seen this group take the field in a fully fleshed out Brian Daboll offense yet. Carnell Tate, an expected big-time contributor, will play in his first regular season game on Sunday.

Saleh, Tennessee should have a defensive edge

All that is to say, the Titans have a case in Ward, Tate, Wan'Dale Robinson, and an updated offensive line to contend with New York. But let's set aside the offenses for a moment; in a defensive head-to-head, I like Saleh's bunch to take the edge.

Even with LB Cedric Gray now confirmed to be out for the contest, Saleh's past head-coaching experience and focus on running Tennessee's defense gives him the benefit of the doubt over Aaron Glenn.

Glenn is also taking over the play-calling duties for New York's defense after the unit posted a brutal run last season. Where the two differ, however, is in the young talent bolstering the Titans' side of things.

Rookie LB Anthony Hill Jr., who made massive preseason waves, is set to step into a serious role. EDGE Keldric Faulk is seemingly healthy and ready to join Tennessee's more seasoned defensive juggernauts on the front lines.

This is no guarantee, but the Titans feel ahead of the Jets as far as their respective rebuilds go. New York is already one four-win season deep with their most recent hire. Saleh, meanwhile, is walking onto a new frontier in Nashville.

The stakes are argubaly higher for he and his staff to win right from the jump. A high-pressure home crowd expecting that win can only help Tennessee's case, too. Don't count the baby blue and red out before they get a chance to prove themselves.