NASHVILLE – Derek Carr showed the advantage of having a year of experience and a better supporting cast in a season opener pitting two of the NFL's rising young quarterbacks.
Carr threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns, and Oakland beat Tennessee 26-16, giving Carr his third consecutive victory over Marcus Mariota and his Titans in as many years.
"It was fun to be back out," Carr said.
Amari Cooper caught a touchdown pass as the Raiders made the Titans pay for opening the season with an onside kick they couldn't recover.
Marshawn Lynch also looked very refreshed after his year away from football. Lynch finished with 18 carries for 76 yards — 10 in the fourth quarter.
"We're 1-for-1 with that," Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said of using Lynch late. "And that's the idea to be able to close these things, and we did that very well."
Giorgio Tavecchio kicked field goals of 20, 52, 52 and 43 yards in his NFL debut. He was signed Friday to fill in for the Raiders' all-time leading scorer and 18-year veteran Sebastian Janikowski, who was placed on injured reserve because of a bad back.
Both Carr and Mariota broke their right legs hours apart on Christmas Eve for season-ending injuries. Carr finished his third season by tying Ezekiel Elliott of Dallas for third in voting for the AP MVP award after leading Oakland to a 12-4 season, while Mariota led the Titans to a 9-7 mark in his second season.
