OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Rookie Phillip Buchanon and Terry Kirby returned punts for touchdowns Sunday as the Oakland Raiders scored 21 points in the first 5:24 and coasted to a 52-25 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Rich Gannon threw four touchdowns for the Raiders (3-0), who led by as many as 31 points in the third quarter and tied a club record for points set most recently against Carolina on Dec. 24, 2000.
The Raiders blitzed the Titans for three quick scores and needed to run just one offensive play to do it. By the time the dust settled, the Titans (1-3) were on their way to a third straight defeat.
"We didn't play much in the first quarter. It was kind of weird the way that worked out," Gannon said. "Overall, everything just kind of went our way."
Safety Rod Woodson intercepted three passes for the Raiders, returning one 82 yards for a score in the third quarter.
On the other side of the ball, Jerry Rice caught seven passes for 144 yards and a score and passed Walter Payton's as the NFL's all-time leader in scrimmage yards.
Tennessee is off to another slow start after dropping its first three games last season. The Titans allowed the most points since tying a franchise record in a 61-7 loss at Cincinnati on Dec. 17, 1989.
"We fell behind and we could never catch up," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "Our inability to tackle really cost us. We got outplayed by the Raiders in all phases."
Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair did everything he could to give it away, throwing two interceptions on the first drive, although one was called back by a penalty. The one by Woodson counted and Gannon responded immediately with a 17-yard touchdown pass to running back Charlie Garner 21 seconds into the contest.
Buchanon, who is starting at cornerback in place of the injured Charles Woodson, took back a punt 82 yards for a score less than four minutes later to increase the lead to 14-0.
The Titans again were unable to move the ball on the next possession and Kirby took a punt and raced 74 yards for a score.
The Titans scored later in the first quarter on a one-yard run by Eddie George, capping a 12-play, 80-yard drive.
The Raiders retained control in the second quarter, adding a 28-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Gannon to Jerry Rice, who has 21,281 scrimmage yards compared with 21,264 for Payton.
"It's an honor to break a record like Walter's because I had a chance to meet him over the years," Rice said. "For me to be able to pass him really means a lot to me."
Woodson made it 38-7 when he grabbed a pass that deflected off tight end Frank Wycheck and raced 82 yards for a score. It was Woodson's 11th interception return for a touchdown, extending his own NFL record. Woodson also became the NFLs all-time leader in interception return yardage with 1,1339.
Tennessee began showing signs of life midway through the third quarter. John Simon scored on a three-yard run and McNair threw a six-yard pass to Drew Bennett to slice the lead to 38-19 after three quarters.
McNair threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Justin McCareins, who took advantage of some shoddy tackling to cut the lead to 38-25.
McNair completed 33 of 47 passes for a career-best 398 yards, but most of those came with him trying to get the Titans out of a deep hole.
"We had to abandon the running game to a certain extent to get back into the game," McNair said. "We wanted to establish the run but we had to throw the ball. You never expect to be down 21-0 three minutes into the game. As a team we need to put ourselves back into it and regroup."
The Raiders would not allow it to get any closer as Gannon threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Porter and a 41-yarder to Tim Brown.
Tennessee is off to another slow start after dropping its first three games last season. The Titans allowed the most points since tying a franchise record in a 61-7 loss at Cincinnati on Dec. 17, 1989.
Tennessee has allowed 83 points in its last two games.
