Steve McNair was a step ahead of the Rams defense in the second half.

But the key to Tennessee' second-half rally from a 16-0 deficit to a fourth-quarter tie was McNair's ability to set aside his quarterback-of-the-future mantle and become a traditional, drop-back passer.

Sure, he had a couple of tremendous scrambles, one of which set up the Titans' first touchdown and another that kept alive their near-miracle final drive. But Tennessee got back into the game in the second half by getting into its game plan and giving McNair time to wait for receivers to come open rather than having to improvise.

"He played his heart out," tight end Frank Wycheck said. "He should hold his head up high, because he put his stamp on this league today."

McNair finished with 214 passing yards on a 22-for-36 performance. He also ran for 64 yards on eight attempts, including a 23-yarder in the third quarter that gave the Titans a first-and-goal at the Rams' 3.

In the first half, with the Titans unable to find their rhythm and the Rams bringing pressure on nearly every pass attempt, McNair found himself moving around in the pocket and throwing on the run. As a result, his halftime numbers were insignificant -- 5-for-14, 65 yards -- and the Titans had no points.

"In the first half, I had to roll out," McNair said. "They were getting pressure, and I had to move around in order to see the passing lanes."

The Titans called no designed running plays for McNair in the first half, and of the 15 times he dropped back to pass, he rolled or sprinted out on seven of them. He was flushed from the pocket on five occasions, but he only tucked the ball in and ran once.

Coach Jeff Fisher said the Titans' inability to move the ball efficiently on first and second downs left them in a lot of third-and-long situations in which the Rams could play the pass. St. Louis only sacked McNair once, but they hurried him five times.

Things began to change in the second half, though.

"We just stayed with our game plan," Fisher said. "We have some calls designed to get him out of the pocket, and we have some calls designed to keep him in the pocket. We felt it was important to get in some third-and-makeable situations."

By moving the ball on the ground -- Eddie George had 77 of his 95 yards rushing in the second half -- Tennessee was able to control the tempo and keep the Rams offense off the field, something they weren't able to do in the first half. The Titans held the ball for 24 minutes in the second half.

"In the second half the guys just buckled down and I had more time," McNair said.

The result was a consistent offense that methodically rallied Tennesee into a 16-16 tie. The Titans drove 66 yards in 12 plays to make it 16-6. They drove 79 yards in 13 plays to make it 16-13. And they drove 28 yards in eight plays for the tying field goal.

"We were out of third-and-long, and they didn't get as good a read on us," Wycheck said. "At halftime that was the biggest adjustment -- we had to get positive yardage on first down."

With the offense in rhythm, McNair was able to sit back and pick the Rams' secondary apart. He completed 12 of 14 passes for 100 yards on the Titans' three scoring drives, and Tennessee had taken control of the game.

"If that's what it takes," McNair said, "I can sit in the pocket."

He also can lead a two-minute drill, as he proved with a drive that very nearly etched McNair deep into Super Bowl lore. Operating out of the shotgun, he completed seven of 11 passes on the final drive, moving the Titans 87 yards in 1:48 until his final pass to Kevin Dyson came up a yard short of the end zone.

That drive featured one of McNair's most spectacular and athletic plays. On third-and-5 from the Rams 26 with 22 seconds left, McNair spun away from pass rushers Kevin Carter and Jay Williams, breaking free from what appeared to be a sure sack by Carter, and found Dyson for 16 yards and a first-and-goal at the 10 with five seconds left.

"I had a firm grip on his jersey," Carter said. "I thought he was going down. I had him firmly in my grasp, but I guess his jersey was wet or something, because it came right out of my hand. He's strong, the strongest quarterback I've ever seen, and he has a heart the size of a basketball."

So the prototype quarterback played two distinctly different halves. At first, out of necessity, he used his legs more, rolling out and throwing on the run. But his team couldn't score. Later, with his line opening up running lanes and George carrying the load, he used his arm more, and his team rallied.