As angry and as confused as the Raiders locker room was following last week's phlegmatic blowout loss at Indianapolis, a just-as-enveloping sense of peace and calm filled their Allegiant Stadium quarters Sunday afternoon.
And why not?
Ending a four-game losing streak with a 20-10 victory over the woebegone Titans may or may not have been the get-right win the Raiders deserved, but it was what was required. And for now, they'll take it.
"Man, it was much needed, man," linebacker Jamal Adams told me. "You drop a couple of games and [the] outside starts to turn on you. Inside, we start to question a lot of things. But at the end of the day, it's the NFL - any given Sunday, anybody can be beat. No matter the competition, no matter what the record is on the other side, we've got to show up.
"So this was a huge win for [a] confidence boost. Obviously, we've got a tough one next week, dealing with Kansas City, but getting back on track, that's the most positive thing we can do."
Especially with the disheartening ways the Raiders have found to drop games since winning the season opener at New England - failing to hold serve at home against the Chargers and Bears, not showing up in Washington and Indianapolis.
So it doesn't matter if it was real, or fool's gold, really. A win in the NFL, where every game is a season unto itself, is a win, is a win, is, yes, a win.
Or, as Al Davis was prone to say (kinda), it didn't matter how his players looked in crossing that finish line, so long as they were the first ones to cross that tape.
Yeah, Just win…if even barely.
"This is a good little jump start to where we want our season to go," said tight end Michael Mayer, who had five catches for 50 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown reception, in his return after missing two-plus games due to a concussion.
"But we've still got a lot of work to do. There's no doubt about it. There's a lot more games left so we're going to keep our heads down, we're going to keep practicing, we're going to keep preparing like we always prepare and try to get better every single day."
Admirable, truly. And six games into a season for a team that is still trying to establish an identity, it's all you can really ask for at this stage, yes?
Well…
"We've got to stay even keel," Adams added. "We did win … but we can't get too high, we can't get too low."
Yet as Adams acknowledged, it's easier to preach that message than it is to practice it.
But given the veteran leadership in the locker room - even if many of those vets, like Adams, are first-year Raiders, it should be second-nature.
"We're grown enough in here to know what we've got to correct and what we've got to do," he said. "That's just the nature of the game, right? We're grown men. So, we've got to clean up the details, which we did, and we came out victorious."
Especially on defense.
With six sacks - including a pair by edge rusher Maxx Crosby and a strip-sack by linebacker Devin White - it was just the second time since 2012 the Raiders had at least six sacks in game.
Plus, the Raiders limited the Titans to just 225 yards of offense, 81 net yards in the first half.
Offensively, the Raiders had two scoring drives of at least 13 plays, giving them five such drives this season, and only the Jaguars, with six, have more.
And on special teams, AJ Cole had four punts downed inside the 20-yard line while Daniel Carlson was perfect on a pair of field-goal attempts, from 50 and 29 yards, and two extra-points.
In other words, the Raiders simply did what they had to do to come out with the win to improve to 2-4 heading to Kansas City.
Perhaps linebacker Elandon Roberts said it perfectly when he called it the best "complementary football game" the Raiders have played this season.
"I know people want to say this and say that, but we've got a lot of juice on this team," Roberts said. "The team is not broken. It's not arguing with no coaches. None of that."
Roberts paused, then he smiled. Slowly.
"Remember, I'm so optimistic, I was on a 1-7 Dolphins team that [almost] went to the playoffs," he said, referencing that 2021 Miami team that finished 9-8. A year later, the Dolphins were in the postseason.
"I done been through it and this team is built, from a talent perspective to a mentality, better than that team was."
See, nothing to see here but peace and calm. And goals.
View photos from the Raiders' Week 6 matchup against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White (45) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) and quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tackle DJ Glaze (71) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
\Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson (8) lines up before kicking a 50-yard field goal during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders center Will Putnam (67), center Jackson Powers-Johnson (58) and guard Alex Cappa (65) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson (8) kicks a 50-yard field goal during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson (8) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Cody Lindenberg (55) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96), cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly (36), linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) and defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn (11) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson (9) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson (9) and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll on the sidelines during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Alex Bachman (81) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
The Las Vegas Raiders offense huddles during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes (22) and defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
The Las Vegas Raiders defense huddles during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter (26) and cornerback Decamerion Richardson (25) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Alex Bachman (81) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Alex Bachman (81) and wide receiver Justin Shorter (88) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jamal Adams (33) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White (45) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White (45) and linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson (9) and safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) dives into the end zone after making a 4-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) celebrates with quarterback Geno Smith (7) after making a 4-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) and linebacker Devin White (45) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) and defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV (99) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tackle DJ Glaze (71) and center Jackson Powers-Johnson (58) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Ian Thomas (80) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) rushes for a 3-yard touchdown during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) rushes for a 3-yard touchdown during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) celebrates after rushing for a 3-yard touchdown during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) celebrates with center/guard Jordan Meredith (61) after rushing for a 3-yard touchdown during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jon Rhattigan (59) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Alex Bachman (81) and running back Dylan Laube (23) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Dylan Laube (23) and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (44) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly (36) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Leki Fotu (95) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Leki Fotu (95) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Dylan Laube (23) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) and defensive end Tyree Wilson (9) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly (36) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Alex Bachman (81) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson (8) lines up before kicking a 29-yard field goal during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White (45) and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (44) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (44) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly (36) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly (36) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Leki Fotu (95) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Raheem Mostert (31) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV (99) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes (22) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV (99) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV (99) during the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (10) and tight end Ian Thomas (80) in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Dylan Laube (23) in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders center Jackson Powers-Johnson (58) in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll addresses his players in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White (45) in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
The Las Vegas Raiders huddle in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
The Las Vegas Raiders huddle in the locker room after the regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium.
