Lions show their mettle

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A 17-point lead quickly turned into a 1-point deficit. The opposing crowd was roaring its approval. The kind of situation that would have doomed the Detroit Lions a year ago was easily overcome in the season opener.

Jon Kitna backed up his big boasts by throwing a go-ahead, 32-yard touchdown pass to Shaun McDonald with 4:15 remaining, and Dewayne White caused 2 turnovers in the closing minutes to help the Lions spoil Lane Kiffin's coaching debut in Oakland with a 36-21 victory over the Raiders on Sunday.

"I said during the off-season that how we handle adversity will be telling for this ballclub," Kitna said. "I think we're starting to turn the corner on that now. Guys are expecting to make plays now, and you saw the results."

Kitna predicted in the off-season that the Lions would end a string of six double-digit loss seasons with at least 10 wins. That was heady stuff for a team coming off a 3-13 season. But Detroit lost eight of those games by 7 or fewer points, lacking a few big plays at clutch times.

Kitna (27-for-36, 289 yards, 3 TDs, 2 interceptions) and White delivered in the season opener.

The matchup between the NFL's two worst teams from a year ago turned highly entertaining in the second half when former Lions backup quarterback Josh McCown led the Raiders on 3 touchdown drives to turn a 17-0 deficit into a 21-20 Oakland lead with 7:43 to go.

Kitna then completed 4 of 5 passes on the game-winning drive, capping it with his third touchdown pass of the game. Facing no pressure, Kitna moved around in the pocket until McDonald broke open in the end zone for the score. McDonald then taunted the fans in Oakland's Black Hole, celebrating the go-ahead score.

Rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson finished with 4 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, while former Broncos tailback Tatum Bell had 87 yards on 15 carries and a late TD run.