The Oakland Raiders started the 2017 regular season on a high note, beating the Tennessee Titans 26-16 at Nissan Stadium.
The Silver and Black will enjoy a happy flight back to the Bay Area, and will get back to work Tuesday; let's take a quick look back at four things that stood out from the Week 1 win.
1. The Raiders offense got off to a hot start
Heading into Sunday's game in Music City, we knew that the Raiders offense could do some pretty dynamic things, and they showed just that on the first series of the afternoon.
After an unsuccessful onside kick gifted the Silver and Black good field position, Derek Carr made quick work of the Titans defense, finding the end zone in just four plays.
Aided by big reception from Jared Cook, and a nice run by Marshawn Lynch, Carr found Cooper for an eight-yard touchdown on just the fourth play of the drive, giving the Raiders an early 6-0 lead.
You always want to start the game off quickly, and the Raiders were able to do just that at Nissan Stadium.
2. Welcome to the squad, Jared Cook
Speaking of Cook, No. 87 enjoyed a strong start in his first official game as a Raider.
In total, he finished the game with five catches for 56 yards.
Much has been made all offseason about the plethora of weapons that Carr has to play with, and he certainly made the most of Cook's presence Sunday afternoon.
With Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree out wide – along with Seth Roberts and Cordarrelle Patterson – Carr has one of the deepest wide receiving corps in the NFL, so having Cook in the mix makes a potent group even more potent.
A good tight end can be a quarterback's best friend, and Carr and Cook were looking mighty friendly against the Titans.
3. Defensively, there were some struggles on third down
Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton, Jr.'s group enjoyed a strong start to the season, allowing just 10 points in the first half, but third downs certainly were problematic, particularly in the first 30 minutes of action.
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota faced seven third downs in the first half, and converted five of them en route to putting up the 10 aforementioned points in the first half.
Now, those issues on third down ultimately didn't end up costing the Silver and Black, and the Raiders were dominant on third down in the second half, but going forward I'm sure that's an area that Head Coach Jack Del Rio will want tightened up.
But hey, it's the first game, and nobody expected things to be perfect.
4. Have a debut, Giorgio Tavecchio
It's been quite the roller coaster for Giorgio Tavecchio.
After going through the preseason with the Silver and Black, Tavecchio was signed to the practice squad Friday afternoon and subsequently promoted to the active roster Saturday.
And come Sunday, he kicked, and kicked really well.
In his first NFL game, Tavecchio was perfect, converting all four field goals he attempted, as well as a pair of extra points.
Sebastian Janikowski has been a mainstay on the Raiders roster since he was drafted in 2000, but Sunday belonged to Tavecchio.
With his 14-point day, the former California Golden Bear became the first Raiders kicker not named Sebastian Janikowski to score points for the team since Brad Daluiso in 2001.
As far as debuts go, you can't really ask for anything more.
Tavecchio made a little history too, becoming the first player since the AFL-NFL merger to convert on at least two field goals of 50-plus-yards in his NFL debut.
