NASHVILLE – Expectations were high for the Tennessee Titans before Sunday’s season opener Sunday against the Oakland Raiders at Nissan Stadium.

After nearly making the playoffs last season, Tennessee entered 2017 looking to not only get back to the postseason, but perhaps win its first AFC South title since 2008.

While a week one 26-16 loss won’t dampen those expectations too much, there was still a bit of frustration about inconsistency on both sides of the ball.

“I think there are two good teams that played today,” Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey said. “We didn’t make enough plays that could put us over the top. We played a close game. We thought it was going to be. At the end there, to let the kickoff return to get out there, to let them get in a position to kick another field goal – those are things our defense has to do a better job of. Getting off the field as well.”

On the offensive side, the Titans scored a touchdown on an impressive 12-play, 75-yard opening drive. Rookie first-round pick Corey Davis looked good playing for the first time after missing the preseason with a hamstring injury, with six catches for 69 yards.

Those positives offset an offense that struggled to get points the rest of the way, with two drives stalling inside the Oakland 10-yard line and leading to field goals. Tennessee was also 2-for-7 on third downs in the second half after going 5-for-7 in the first half.

“I think that was probably the turning point of the game was the fact that we couldn’t score touchdowns in (the red zone),” Tennessee QB Marcus Mariota said. “You play a good team like that, you’ve got to make the most out of your opportunities and unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that today.”

On the defensive side, the Titans had trouble stopping Oakland in critical situations, with the Raiders going 4-for-8 on third downs in the second half. The Raiders scored on six of the first nine possessions before taking a knee on the final possession, although four of the drives ended in field goals.

“You have to give them credit where credit is due,” Tennessee safety Kevin Byard said. “They made their plays, and definitely made more plays than we did. I think it’s just a couple of little mistakes we had, a couple of plays here and there – a couple of missed tackles, and a couple of missed assignments.

“I still think we have a special group. It was game one. We just have to get back to the film and fix things.”

Tennessee has a chance to quickly turn things around when it faces Jacksonville in week two. The Jaguars were the only team in the AFC South to win on Sunday, with a surprising 29-7 victory at Houston.

A win against the Jaguars puts the Titans back on track, perhaps easing a bit of disappointment from Sunday’s loss.

“It’s definitely a shot to the heart and a shot to my pride to let someone come in here and run up and down on us like that,” Tennessee defensive end Jurrell Casey said. “We just have to come back stronger and make sure we bounce back for the next 15 (games).”