Tennessee offense vs. St. Louis defense
These are two underrated units that probably will be the deciding factor in the Super Bowl.

	TENNESSEE OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	13
	Pass	17
	Tot. Yds.	15
	Scoring	7
	Int's allowed	13
	Sacks allowed	26
	ST. LOUIS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	1
	vs. Pass	24
	Total yds. allowed	24
	# of Ints.	29
	# of Sacks	57
	Turnover differential	+5

Tennessee's offense is not much of a threat because the Titans have little speed at wide receiver, Steve McNair is not much of a vertical passer, and Eddie George's running style is more conducive to a slow tempo attack. Nevertheless, the Titans offense has done a fine job of capitalizing on plays made by their defense and always seem to find a way to score just enough points.

The key is going to be Tennessee's ability to score early. The Rams have outscored their opponents by 90 points in the first quarter of games this season, and that's the main reason why the St. Louis defense has been so successful -- it has had the opportunity to play extremely aggressively and take risks in its blitz packages because of early leads.

Tennessee is going to stick with a two-tight end formation for most of the game -- the Titans feel they are most dynamic in that set. As effective as fullback Lorenzo Neal is as an isolation blocker, the team does not believe that it can disguise its play-calling enough to keep him in the lineup. Also, tight end Jackie Harris and H-Back Frank Wycheck have been extremely successful late in the season because of their versatility. Harris and Wycheck are both known for their receiving skills, but it has been their effort as run-blockers that has opened up a lot of scouts' eyes over the last seven weeks.

The interesting aspect of the Tennessee offense is the H-back position, because it creates so many matchup problems. Wycheck has great size and athleticism, which makes him a mismatch for linebackers as well as safeties.

One advantage the Rams have is the fact that Tennessee's receiving corps presents little threat in the deep third, especially considering Yancey Thigpen will be less than 100 percent -- if he plays at all. So the Rams corners, Todd Lyght and Dexter McCleon, will be able to play in man-to-man coverage, leaving safeties Devin Bush and Billy Jenkins free to cover the tight end and running back positions.

The Titans simply do not have the passing attack to keep in this contest. They should be able to control the line of scrimmage in the running game, but with minimal threat coming from the air, St. Louis is going to stack the line of scrimmage and smother the run until the Titans prove that they can take advantage on one-on-one coverage on the outside.

St. Louis offense vs. Tennessee defense
This is an extremely interesting matchup because of the speed and aggressive styles on both sides of ball.

	ST. LOUIS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	15
	Pass	1
	Tot. Yds.	1
	Scoring	1
	Int's allowed	15
	Sacks allowed	33
	TENNESSEE DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	11
	vs. Pass	25
	Total yds. allowed	17
	# of Ints.	16
	# of Sacks	54
	Turnover differential	+18

There are obviously a lot of critical individual matchups to evaluate, but the main concern for the Titans will be their ability to contain the Rams' receiving corps as a unit. Ordinarily, Tennessee likes to take a lot of chances on defense. The Titans run an extremely aggressive "46" style that features lots of zone blitzing and stunting underneath to disguise the coverage and attack.

However, the Titans are in a predicament because of the loss of free safety Marcus Robertson. Robertson was the ball-hawking free safety who played center field to give his corners help in coverage. Now, the Titans are going to be forced to work in Perry Phenix and Anthony Dorsett, which means that strong safety Blaine Bishop is going to have to be less aggressive close to the line of scrimmage and more concerned with coverage in the deep third against the speed of the Rams receivers.

Denard Walker and Samari Rolle will be counted on to play on an island against the likes of Rams' Az-Zahir Hakim, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Ricky Proehl. Walker and Rolle have done an outstanding job in coverage this season because they have had a lot of help from the pass rush, but expect the Tennessee corners to get picked on some because of the speed and size they give up when matching up in man-to-man coverage.

Another problem the Titans are presented with is the fact Bishop is going to be less of a factor against the run. Tennessee has done an excellent job of shutting down the run this season, and some of the credit needs to go to a scheme that involves eight men close to the line of scrimmage to take away the cut back lane by creating more of a "44" look. With Robertson out of last week's game, Tennessee was forced to play less aggressive on first and second down, but were still effective because of the play of defensive tackles Josh Evans and Jason Fisk.

The difference this week, however, is the fact that the Rams are going to spread the field more than the Jaguars did last week, meaning Tennessee might be forced into a lot more nickel packages. We have seen it all year from St. Louis. The Rams have so many different ways to attack a defense and the reason the Rams are so successful is because they adapt to what the defense is giving them.

The Rams will rely heavily on quarterback Kurt Warner's ability to pick up the blitz and make the proper pre-snap reads at the line of scrimmage. But more than anything, the play of running back Marshall Faulk should be the difference in this game. If Faulk is able to contribute both as a runner and as a receiver, the Titans will have very little chance of stopping St. Louis' offensive scheme.

Special teams
St. Louis was without the services of electrifying kick returner Tony Horne when the teams played earlier this season in Nashville and his replacement, Ron Carpenter, contributed little.

	NFL RANK
	Category	TITANS	RAMS
	Punt return avg.	10	14
	Kickoff return avg.	21	1
	Opp. punt return avg.	18	5
	Opp. kickoff ret. avg.	21	30
	Time of possession	1	6

Horne and punt returner Az Hakim pose special problems for Tennessee's hustling coverage teams because their styles are complementary. Horne is a blazing straight-line speedster, and Hakim has rare lateral quickness. But in either case, the Titans must break down well on the ball carrier.

Tennessee's Derrick Mason's 80-yard kickoff return last Sunday was the pivotal play that seemed to deflate Jacksonville, and he is attacking the seams with confidence. The Titans have a clear advantage in the kicking game, as Craig Hentrich has tons of Super Bowl experience, and Al Del Greco is much healthier than St. Louis' Jeff Wilkins.

The Rams lost an opportunity to force overtime against the Titans on Oct. 31 when Wilkins missed a late field goal. It will be interesting to see how that play affects him Sunday.

Key matchups