LAS VEGAS -- — The <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/ten/tennessee-titans">Tennessee Titans</a> opened the season with four consecutive losses and were staring directly at a fifth last weekend before they <a href="https://apnews.com/article/titans-cardinals-score-89b78841a39aea13cfb469b33ac563ec?utm--source=copy&utm--medium=share">rallied to beat Arizona</a>.
Which puts them in the unusual situation of trying to win back-to-back games.
Should the Titans beat the Raiders on Sunday, that would be the first time they have posted consecutive victories since Nov. 17, 2022, when they beat Green Bay after topping Denver five days earlier.
“Hey, it has been a long time, and this is our opportunity to do it,” tight end <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4360635/chig-okonkwo">Chig Okonkwo</a> said. “Like we say over here, winning cures everything. So the vibe is high. So now we can just keep this momentum going forward and take it to Vegas.”
The Raiders have their own concerns heading into this matchup of 1-4 teams.
They opened their season with an encouraging <a href="https://apnews.com/article/raiders-patriots-score-4d05c3b6a987588f61f2c8bedbd1947d?utm--source=copy&utm--medium=share">victory at New England</a>, with optimism abounding that the franchise might be turning the corner under first-year coach Pete Carroll. Las Vegas hasn't won since.
Quarterback <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/15864/geno-smith">Geno Smith</a> has borne much of the blame for the slow start. He has thrown a league-high nine interceptions.
“Six of the interceptions this year were tipped in the air. Johnny-on-the-spot defensive guy,” Smith said. "Am I going to look at that and say, ‘Well, don’t throw it to the guy who we’re supposed to throw it to?’ I’m going to throw it to the guy I’m supposed to, and at times, things happen.
"People get caught up in results, and they want to look at statistics and try to place blame because that’s just how life goes when you’re in the position I’m in. But I’m a lot smarter than that and I’m aware of the process. I know exactly what I’m doing out there.”
Maybe the Raiders will find the winning formula similar to what the Titans discovered against the Cardinals. Tennessee came back from down 21-6 in the fourth quarter to win 22-21.
“It looked like they were dead and gone,” Carroll said. “They just kept battling and hanging in there, and they really made a bunch of plays to make it happen. They earned every bit of it.”
Target the tight ends
Rookie quarterback <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4688380/cam-ward">Cam Ward</a> finding tight ends Okonkwo and rookie <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4686728/gunnar-helm">Gunnar Helm</a> helped the Titans’ offense kick into gear during their comeback in Arizona. Ward targeted the tight ends 10 times for a combined eight catches for 82 yards. Helm had one catch for 3 yards by halftime with Okonkwo shut out.
“I haven’t given them enough chances this year, which I did this past week, and they saw what they can do, especially after the run, getting us those (yards after the catch),” Ward said of his tight ends. “So we got a very talented group of tight ends, but we just got to continue to feed them, continue to get them more involved, and it’s going to continue to help us.”
Okonkwo said he and Helm have been like a “safety blanket” with what they can do, especially after the catch.
“Me and Gunnar complement each other in the ways that we play, so I’m glad that they’re seeing that,” he said.
Back in the lineup
<a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4429086/michael-mayer">Michael Mayer</a> is back in the lineup after missing two games with concussion symptoms, and the Raiders need him. Fellow tight end <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4432665/brock-bowers">Brock Bowers</a> is still contending with a knee injury that has dogged him nearly all season.
Mayer said he's ready to be the No. 1 tight end if called upon.
“I'm definitely going into the game thinking that for sure,” Mayer said. “I'm going to prep for it, study for it. The decision's ultimately not mine, but I'm going to be ready for it.”
Healing up
The Titans have tried protect Ward without starting right tackle <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4431437/jc-latham">JC Latham</a> during the past four games.

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