Eric Moulds was Rob Johnson's top target last week, catching eight passes for 110 yards.

The two defenses are awesome: The Bills enter the playoffs as the No. 1-ranked defense in the league, and the Titans are athletic, led by rookie phenom Jevon Kearse at defensive end. While Tennessee will blitz and try to hit the opposing quarterback as much as possible, the Bills play stout up front with the likes of nose guard Ted Washington and are difficult to move. It will be strength against strength because the Titans will try to outmuscle the Bills with Eddie George.

The Titans are playing the best football in the league. I concentrate more on how a team ends a season and what kind of confidence and momentum it has going into the playoffs. I don't think a team can flick momentum on and off like a light switch unless it has plenty of veterans.

The Titans have been dominant on defense and explosive on offense. After they found out Jacksonville won and earned home-field advantage, they didn't have anything to play for last week. But the Titans still whipped Pittsburgh on the road. They are extremely focused and playing better than any team in the league right now. The perception of the Titans is that they are a finesse team, but they are not. I like how aggressive they are.

This is an evenly matched game, but I'm curious about Buffalo's momentum with the quarterback change. Rob Johnson gives the Bills a bigger arm than Doug Flutie. Nobody moves as well as Flutie, but Johnson moves pretty well and has good feet, as he demonstrated last Sunday against the Colts. They were moving him out of the pocket and having him throw on the run.

While bigger and stronger than Flutie, Johnson doesn't take a hit as well as Flutie. Plus, he is less experienced, spending 15 weeks on the sidelines watching Flutie. He played well last week, but the intensity rises about 800-fold for the playoffs.

With Johnson at quarterback, the Bills will predominantly run misdirection plays, play-action fakes and naked bootlegs, hoping that the Titans' aggressive defense will be undisciplined. If the Bills run directly toward the sidelines, the Titans will run them down from anywhere on the field. To make plays against Tennessee, the Bills will need to get receivers Eric Moulds and Andre Reed crossing to create space so Johnson can deliver the ball with room to run.

Here are the keys to Saturday's AFC wild-card game for each team:

Buffalo Bills
1. Fast start: Johnson needs to get the Bills on the scoreboard early so the naysayers, who think Flutie should be starting, will be silenced quickly. Buffalo will be playing in one of the league's loudest stadiums, where the Titans hold a commanding 8-0 record. The Bills have a better vertical game with Johnson at quarterback. The Bills need to challenge the Titans vertically, not horizontally, and force the Titans to make plays in the secondary. Johnson must also avoid turnovers, especially early, if the Bills expect to win in Tennessee.

2. Stop Wycheck: Why should the Bills concern themselves with Frank Wycheck? Because the All-Pro tight end is playing big right now and is their leading receiver with 69 receptions. He is a key to the Titans' ball-control offense because he keeps the chains moving in their passing game. So the Bills will need to take away Wycheck in the hashmark area and force Steve McNair to look outside.

3. No room for McNair: To control McNair, the Bills must keep away from the perimeter. Outside containment will be critical. If Buffalo's containment breaks down and McNair is allowed to escape the pocket, he becomes a dangerous playmaker with both his feet and his arm. He led all quarterbacks with 337 rushing yards and eight touchdown runs.

Tennessee Titans
1. Hit Johnson: Kearse and company should be able to knock Johnson around because he is more susceptible to being hit than the elusive Flutie. Last season, Johnson was sacked 29 times in six starts. The Titans need to rattle Johnson and get as many hits on him as they can. Knock him out legally.

2. Slow Smith:Antowain Smith only averaged 3.7 yards per carry, but he is big and can run roughshod over teams. In addition, the Bills ranked sixth in the league in rushing. If the Titans can bottle up Smith, that will put Buffalo in long-yardage situations, limiting the Bills' play-action passing and forcing Johnson to make plays on obvious passing downs.

3. No big plays: Jeff Fisher likes to blitz, but that approach could make him vulnerable to big plays by Moulds if the blitz doesn't get to Johnson in time. So if the Titans blitz and gamble, they need to play with discipline behind it, keeping plays underneath coverage. Allowing big plays at home would give Buffalo confidence.