Since Althea and Grace had never been to a NFL football game before, I decided to get the 3 of us tickets to the Titans' 2010 season opener at home against the Oakland Raiders. The game was a lot of fun, but it was incredibly hot for mid-September, and that was made worse by the fact that our seats were in the upper level. Sometimes, it seemed like we were 10 feet away from the sun, and that was miserable. We were all covered in sweat by the end of the game, and it's possible I might have a sunburn. Note to self: when attending Titans' games in the future, go later in the season.
Because the Titans started 0-6 in 2009, it was important for them to get a win as soon as possible in 2010, and they did so by defeating the Raiders 38-13. Chris Johnson continued running like the elite back he is, racking up 142 yards and a late touchdown to ice the game. The Titans' defense made some good plays and harassed new Raiders' QB Jason Campbell into multiple mistakes. The game wasn't as much of a blowout as the score suggests, as the Titans didn't really put the game out of reach until Chris Johnson's 4th quarter touchdown run. Still, there were some things that could cause an astute fan concern as the season goes forward. First and foremost, Vince Young still looks like a mediocre, inconsistent quarterback. Even though he has improved somewhat, he still leaves too many plays on the field. Also, the defense made too many stupid penalties an didn't take advantage of all the mistakes Oakland made. The Titans seem to have some potential this year, but they will have to play better against better teams if they expect to make the playoffs.