Why to watch:
Despite the three-game difference in these teams' records, this AFC confrontation shapes up as an excellent matchup. The Raiders are happy to be back in the wild-card race, while the Titans are frustrated that they've been reduced to competing for a wild card, rather than the AFC Central title.

Tennessee fell two games behind Jacksonville in the divisional race after an embarrassing 41-14 loss at Baltimore last week. Did that game expose a Tennessee squad that has achieved its sterling record against one of the NFL's softest schedules? Or was it just a bad afternoon for a good team? We'll find out Thursday night, when the Titans host an Oakland squad that's coming off an impressive 30-21 victory over the first-place Seahawks.

The Raiders, whose '99 trademark has been squandering fourth-quarter leads, broke an ugly two-game skid by finally putting together a full game against Seattle. Still, Oakland remains two games behind Miami (8-4) and Buffalo (8-4) for the conference's final playoff spot. To reach the postseason, the Raiders probably have to win their four remaining games, and then hope for a collapse by either the Dolphins, Bills or maybe even the Titans.

That's what makes Thursday's game at Adelphia Coliseum so intriguing. Another loss for Tennessee, and the Titans will not only be questioning themselves, they'll also put their playoff seeding in more jeopardy. Another loss for the Raiders, and their season is probably finished.

Who to watch:
Raiders RBs Tyrone Wheatley and Napoleon Kaufman power the NFL's top-ranked rushing attack. Providing an excellent change of pace, the powerful Wheatley ran for 80 yards on 21 carries last week against Seattle, while the speedy Kaufman bolted for 76 yards on just 10 attempts. If Oakland can approach its average of 129.9 rushing yards per game, it will make things even easier for QB Rich Gannon. Although he was battling thigh and wrist injuries, Gannon got into an excellent rhythm last week, completing 19 of 24 passes for 253 yards and two TDs.

The real key for Gannon, however, will be getting time to throw. Titans coach Jeff Fisher will unleash his blitz packages, and Oakland's offensive line must handle Titans rookie DE Jevon Kearse and an underrated front four. Massive Raiders LT Lincoln Kennedy will try to keep the athletic Kearse from adding to his total of 9½ sacks. The Titans have racked up 42 sacks this season -- 10 players have at least two sacks apiece -- and Kearse has collected 6½ in his last six games.

Last week, Raiders WR Tim Brown became the third receiver in NFL history to put together seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Titans CBs Samari Rolle and Denard Walker will focus on containing Brown and make speedy WR James Jett beat them. Jett has not caught a TD pass in his last five games and has only two TD catches this season. Raiders TE Rickey Dudley has scored five TDs in his last four games, but he was shut out last week. Dudley will provide a test for Titans OLBs Eddie Robinson and Joe Bowden.

	INJURY REPORT
	Raiders: OUT: DE Tony Bryant (ankle); S Eric Turner (calf); TE Derrick Walker (knee). PROBABLE: RB Jermaine Williams (knee). Titans: QUESTIONABLE: DE Henry Ford (calf); RB Spencer George (groin); TE Jackie Harris (thumb); S Marcus Robertson (groin); T Jon Runyon (abdomen); WR Yancey Thigpen (ankle).

Titans QB Steve McNair has not thrown a TD pass in his last 23 quarters. However, McNair has rushed for four TDs in his last four games. In McNair's defense, he has been missing his top target. Titans WR Yancey Thigpen has missed the last three games with an ankle injury, and he's questionable for Thursday night.

Second-year WR Kevin Dyson also has struggled without Thigpen, catching just seven passes for 75 yards and no TDs in his last three games. In fact, Dyson hasn't scored a TD in the six weeks since McNair returned to the lineup. Raiders CBs Charles Woodson and Eric Allen could make life very difficult for the Titans' struggling air attack.

To win, Tennessee is going to have to run the ball. That means RB Eddie George, who needs just 84 yards for his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season, must have a big night. George got just eight carries for 32 yards last week in Baltimore. With Raiders DTs Darrell Russell and Russell Maryland stout up the middle, George will look to do most of his damage on the edges.

Raiders' numbers to know:
Brown's two TD catches last week were the first by a Raiders WR since Week 7, when both Brown and Jett reached the end zone. However, Gannon has thrown at least two TD passes in each of his last four games. ... Oakland ranks No. 1 in the AFC with 24 red-zone TDs.

Titans' numbers to know:
Entering last week's game with Baltimore, Tennessee was allowing 310.5 yards per game. However, the Titans gave up 447 yards to the Ravens to increase that average to 321.9. Tennessee, which now ranks 20th in total defense, will need to bounce back against a Raiders offense that ranks No. 5 with 352.3 yards per game.

What it means:
The Titans play their next three games at home before closing the season in Pittsburgh. If Tennessee can win its four remaining games, including a big Dec. 26 game with Jacksonville, the Titans might still have a shot at the AFC Central title. However, if the Jaguars don't slip up, Tennessee is looking at a wild-card spot. By winning at least 11 games, the Titans would have a good shot at hosting a first-round playoff game.

As for the Raiders, they have three of their final four games on the road, and the home contest is against the streaking Buccaneers. It probably will take at least 10 wins to get into the playoffs, so Oakland can't afford another loss.

Sean Salisbury's breakdown
Raiders' game plan:
Gannon is an underrated quarterback. He makes things happen and seems to have a good rapport with coach Jon Gruden. Gannon again will look for Brown, his go-to receiver. I also like the fact that Dudley is finally being productive in the offense. He is creating opportunities for the receivers to get open more. Dudley must continue to make plays down the middle.

But the Raiders need Jett to explode for a big home run. He should get his big-play chances against Tennessee because the Titans will pressure and blitz Gannon while playing a lot of single coverage on the outside. They also will roll the coverage toward Brown. They will do everything they can to get containment up the field and not allow Gannon to use his great athleticism to move out of the pocket.

One advantage for the Raiders is that Gannon will get the ball out of his hands quickly. The Raiders need to run the ball at Kearse and play physical with him. They should run some lead draws to take advantage of his aggressive, up-the-field push. That should give Wheatley some running lanes inside. Just when Kearse decides to tackle and starts committing inside to stop the run, the Raiders can bounce Kaufman outside around Kearse for big gains. The Titans had trouble with this last week against Baltimore's Priest Holmes.

Titans' game plan:
Keep an eye on Wycheck. McNair is comfortable with Wycheck, who has been the Titans' leading receiver for three years and caught 10 balls last week. He will be a big factor against the Raiders. Oakland doesn't want Dyson and Thigpen, if healthy, to beat them, so that gives Wycheck an opportunity to make some plays in single coverage against a linebacker, a matchup that favors Wycheck.

The key for the Titans offense, however, is avoiding turnovers. If they avoid turnovers, they will win at home. When they start to lay it on the ground and throw interceptions, they take themselves out of the game. They can't allow the Raiders to get a lead on them, like the Ravens did last week, because McNair ended up throwing the ball 48 times, getting away from what the Titans like to do. They need to establish George on the ground, get the ball to Wycheck and hope McNair plays mistake-free football.

Pivotal Player:
Kennedy. The Raiders offensive tackle must be able to control Kearse. If Kennedy plays finesse football or the Raiders run away from him, Kearse can dominate the game. If Kearse gets one big hit on Gannon at home, that could damage the Raiders' chances. The Raiders will also use the tight end to help Kennedy or bump Kearse with a running back. The rookie must be contained.