At Least Ending Is Fantastic

Playing in a new stadium with a new nickname, the Tennessee Titans treated their fickle fans to a last-minute victory in their season opener.

Al Del Greco kicked a 33-yard field goal with eight seconds left as the Titans rallied with 10 points in the final minutes for a 36-35 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in the first game at the $292-million Adelphia Coliseum.

The Titans, formerly the Oilers, took their fans through a gamut of emotions from boos to a standing ovation as they blew a 26-7 first-half lead with four turnovers before playing catch-up with 10 points in the fourth quarter. Steve McNair, booed after fumbling away the ball with 9:26 left, came back to lead the Titans to a touchdown and set up the field goal by Del Greco, his 13th game-winning kick.

“That [the booing] gave me even more motivation to go out and get the job done,” said McNair, who finished 21 for 32 for 341 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. “I don’t understand it . . . but the team surrounded me and said, ‘Don’t worry.’ And we came out on top. That’s what counts.”

Cincinnati’s Jeff Blake nearly ruined the Titan festivities. He ran for 90 yards and threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns before being forced from the game on several occasions with heat exhaustion and cramps.

That forced rookie Akili Smith, who held out for most of training camp, into the game. He finished off two drives started by Blake with handoffs as Cincinnati settled for field goals of 33 and 38 yards by Doug Pelfrey for a 35-26 lead with 7:56 remaining.