NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans believe they have as good a shot as any team at winning the Super Bowl. And why not, if they are correct when they say they still haven't played their best game yet.
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| Titans quarterback Steve McNair has thrown six TD passes in his last six quarters. |
"We can play better, and it's just a matter of time," safety Blaine Bishop said. "It's coming, and we're just real close
to it on both sides of the ball.
"Hopefully, we can hit on all cylinders and be consistent through the playoffs."
It's that attitude that has the Titans (13-3) thinking Super Bowl as they prepare for the franchise's first playoff game since 1993. Coach Jeff Fisher pointed out that this season's playoffs are missing a dominant favorite like Denver or San Francisco in the past.
"That's why we feel good about where we are. We feel like we've got as good a chance as anybody to take a step forward and go take
it. It's a step by step process. That's the philosophy we have here. We're in it now. Now let's make things happen," Fisher said.
No other team is playing as well as the Titans heading into the playoffs. They are the only team with four consecutive victories as they prepare to play host to Buffalo (11-5) on Saturday in an AFC wild-card game.
The Titans, the first team to win 13 games and not take its division since the wild-card system started in 1970, have scored at least 40 points in each of their last two games. They hadn't done that in 522 games dating back to 1961 when the former Oilers belonged to the defunct AFL.
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INJURY UPDATE |
| Titans safety Marcus Robertson will see a doctor Wednesday, and coach Jeff Fisher said there is a chance Robertson could play Saturday against Buffalo.
Robertson needed 150 stitches to his face last week after wrecking his motorcycle. Fisher said Robertson came to the practice facility Monday for his first workout since the accident and is looking much better.
"He's encouraged. He's going to see the doctor Wednesday, and that will give us a better idea," Fisher said.
The worry is about one wound above Robertson's eye and whether a helmet slipping around his face could reopen any of the cuts.
The Titans also put defensive end Kenny Holmes into a walking boot, and Fisher said he might not practice Tuesday. Rookie
defensive end Jevon Kearse sprained an ankle in Sunday's 47-36 victory over Pittsburgh, but should be OK. |
They have forced more turnovers than any other team in the playoffs and feature the best giveaway-takeaway ratio with a plus-18. Jacksonville and Washington are the closest with plus-12.
And only Jacksonville and St. Louis, with 57 sacks each, have more than Tennessee's club-record 54.
Most importantly, Steve McNair finally is feeling comfortable after missing five games at the beginning of the season due to back surgery.
McNair, criticized before Christmas for having thrown only one touchdown pass in his previous seven games, now has six TD passes in just over five quarters the past two weeks. That equals his total for the rest of the season.
"I'm looking forward to continue to get better as the playoffs go along," McNair said. "We want to continue to get better. We're not at the
point we want to be, but we're playing well."
The Bills will have the edge over the Titans with the number of playoff veterans, but McNair said the Titans have something else -- a hunger to prove they belong in the postseason.
"We want to go farther than just making the playoffs," he said.
Tight end Jackie Harris, who went to the playoffs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997, thinks his younger teammates are paying attention and won't be overconfident from the past month.
"You're only as good as this week. It's not even last week. You can be world beaters last week, but we come out and play average, we'll go home next weekend. That's the reality ...," he said. "The sense of urgency is just in front of us now more than ever."
