Six Things That Stood Out for the Titans in Sunday's Win Over the Raiders

First, the good: Safety Kevin Byard came up with a huge interception in the end zone to end one drive. The Titans held the Raiders to field goals after they'd reached the Tennessee 3, 14 and 17. Linebacker Dylan Cole and Byard each got a hand on the football on the two-point try at the end, and the Titans did a nice job on Raiders receiver Davante Adams, who had just five catches for 36 yards. The Titans held the Raiders to just 1-of-12 on third down, the best under HC Mike Vrabel. The Titans defense limited the Raiders to two touchdowns in six drives inside the red zone. Now, the bad: Raiders receiver Mack Hollins had eight catches for 158 yards, quarterback Derek Carr threw for 303 yards and two scores, and the Titans had trouble getting stops late. A 60-yard pass from Carr to Hollins (with Terrance Mitchell in coverage) was deflating even before the late score that made it close. Vrabel said the unit needs to be better. "Just the X-plays, the deep penalties, the fourth-down conversions," Vrabel said. "It is really good, and then it's really not very good. We have to figure out what that is, if we're relaxing or what. There are some opportunities in there where it looks like defense, and it looks like we know what we're doing. Then other times there are lapses and we have to eliminate the lapses."

Vrabel calls it complementary football, which is winning in all three phases. On Sunday, special teams helped the Titans beat the Raiders. Kicker Randy Bullock nailed a 48-yard field goal at the end of the first half to give the team some much-needed points. Who knew it would be the difference in the game? Woods returned a punt 20 yards, punter Ryan Stonehouse averaged 60.3 yards on three punts, including a punt of 70 yards, and tight end Austin Hooper recovered an onsides kick in the closing moments to preserve the win. With a smile, Byard said he had some words for Hooper after he secured the football. "I was telling him to get down on the ground," Byard said of Hooper. "I was like, 'Bruh, get on the ground! Get on the ground!' He finally dropped to the ground. … I'm happy he finally got to the ground."

It wasn't pretty at the end, as the Titans held on for dear life down the stretch. The Raiders made plays on the Titans, who failed to put the hammer down on a team that could've been beaten by a wider margin. But the most important thing is the Titans found a way to win with some big plays in the clutch, something they didn't do in the season opener against the Giants. Now, as the team begins to prepare for the Colts, they have something to build on. "We got the ball rolling in the right direction, and that was my message all week: Just come out, find a way to win this one game," Tannehill said. "Get the ball rolling in the right direction and build on it."