It might not matter at all. The AFC's top two seeds have met in the championship game once in the past five seasons. No. 2 New England beat No. 1 Pittsburgh on their way to Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. Not since 2002 (Oakland over Tennessee) has the AFC No. 1 beaten the No. 2 in the playoffs.!
Tight end Bo Scaife celebrates after the Titans wrapped up AFC homefield advantage Sunday at LP Field.
At 13-2, Tennessee will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, including a possible rematch with the Steelers in the AFC Championship, but that would require both franchises to win a home playoff game. The Titans will sit out the Wild Card round and host the worst remaining seed in the AFC Jan. 10 or 11. If they win, the AFC Championship will be at LP Field Jan. 18.
"It's a good feeling to know that everything is going to come through Music City," offensive tackle Michael Roos said.
The Titans have a marginal advantage according to recent history. The No. 1 seed won the AFC Championship twice in that five-year span compared to once for the No. 2. And they'll gladly avoid a January trip to Heinz Field, especially after a windy afternoon in Nashville with the temperatures hovering in the low 30s.
"[Home-field advantage] is real big because it was cold out there today and we especially don't want to go up to Pittsburgh," running back Chris Johnson said.
The sports and entertainment world is filled with historical rhetoric about it being better to be first than last, but the No. 1 seed is far from automatic victory. The Pittsburgh Steelers (2005) and New York Giants (2007) won Super Bowls as Wild Card entrants, winning three road games along the way.
The energy surrounding Sunday's clash seemed justified — entering the game, the Steelers (192) and Titans (197) were the NFL's only defenses allowing fewer than 200 points — but games featuring teams straining for playoff spots will probably have a greater effect on the playoff tapestry. Instead, it was the way Tennessee responded to a 13-12 loss last week at Houston that stood out to the players. The 31-14 victory over the Steelers will no doubt resound across the country, but the team is focused on the same thing it was before the game — playing well going into the playoffs.
"Coach Fisher talked to us last night about momentum, coming out and establishing what we're going to be going into the playoffs. If we come into this game and don't play well and then we play Indy next week, I don't know what they're going to do," linebacker Keith Bulluck said. "Usually once they're in, they sit their players. We're not getting a real test. This was a true test. It sets the tone for the playoffs in the AFC."
COLLINS BOUNCES BACK:Kerry Collins and the passing offense had its worst performance of the year against the Texans last week.
This week was one of the best.
Collins completed 20-of-29 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown and Justin Gage had his second 100-yard game of the season, finishing with 104 yards on five catches against the NFL's No. 1 defense. Tennessee seemed unfazed by Pittsburgh's three Pro Bowlers.
"The biggest thing was playing better than we did last week. That was as bad as we played all year," Collins said.
'DINGER' AGGRESSIVE:Tennessee became the first team all season to eclipse 300 yards of total offense against Pittsburgh, thanks in part to aggressive play-calling by offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger on two fourth-down plays.
Facing fourth-and-1 from Pittsburgh's 21, Heimerdinger ran a play designed to isolate Chris Johnson, plunging fullback Ahmard Hall into the line of scrimmage empty-handed, and it worked -- Johnson cut inside, Ike Taylor fell and the rookie raced to the end zone to put Tennessee up 17-14.
Johnson said he had worked on the play all week and expected to be matched 1-on-1 with a defender. He said he reacted quickly because of his familiarity with the play, but his cut left Taylor groping at a wad of grass. Taylor had Johnson lined up five yards behind the line of scrimmage.
"It's feast or famine," Collins said. "Got the ball to him and C.J. made him miss and did the rest."
On Tennessee's first touchdown, Collins found Gage for a 34-yard touchdown on third-and-5 and Gage held on despite getting lambasted by Troy Polamalu. The Steelers were off-sides on the play and Collins noticed. He said knowing he had some leeway helped him relax but said Gage was open and made a great catch.
"I think to beat a team like the Steelers, you've got to be aggressive. I thought that [Heimerdinger] made several aggressive calls today," Collins said.
Gage was appreciative of his coordinator's faith and said the offense enjoyed the challenge heading into the final week of the regular season.
Fisher, who typically elects to kick field goals and avoid gambles, has taken a more aggressive approach the past two weeks. Against Houston he passed up a long field goal opportunity and Collins threw incomplete on fourth down late in the game. Against Pittsburgh it worked to his advantage.
"I didn't feel like field goals were going to be enough to win this game because of the potential of their offense and of course, the way [their] defense has played," Fisher said. "So if we get a chance to go for it on fourth down in plus territory against a team like this, you've got to make plays and both times we did."
GRIFFIN'S DOUBLE: SafetyMichael Griffin made two interceptions in a game for the second time this season, returning one 83 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
"I knew there was under a minute left, but it felt like running a 400-meter race, at least 40 or 50 seconds to get to the end zone," Griffin said. "I got it and Vince Fuller looked at me like, 'Do you have the ball or did you drop it?'"
Griffin likened the return to his days as a high school player, petitioning Fisher to add an offensive play designed for him to the playbook, adding that he indulges in his high school YouTube highlights on occasion.
As it stands, Griffin has enough highlights defensively. He's now tied with Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu and Baltimore's Ed Reed for the NFL lead with seven interceptions.
TERRIBLE TOWEL:Late in the game, Bulluck procured a yellow "Terrible Towel" and stomped on it in front of the cameras.
Asked if he was worried he'd provided bulletin material to Pittsburgh should the teams meet in the AFC Championship, Bulluck said no.
"I really don't care. That's no disrespect ... that's just our stand," Bulluck said. "Anybody that comes through here in the playoffs we plan to stomp out."
Pittsburgh may have the most well-traveled fans in the NFL. Plenty of yellow and black dotted the stands, and that only added to the underdog theme Tennessee clung to after the Steelers were favored in Nashville.
"It was a little surprising to see that many in our stadium, but I know what the Steelers are about," Collins said.
Bulluck said he didn't mug a visiting fan for his flag but wouldn't reveal his source, saying he's "well-connected" in the stadium.
SITTING OUT?:With the No. 1 seed secure, Collins said he doesn't expect to play the entire game against Indianapolis next week but feels healthy and doesn't need time off.
"We are going to evaluate and look at it," Fisher said. "Anybody that is capable of playing is going to play. I don't know how much, how long. We'll decide during the week."
Collins said the key to avoiding a letdown come Jan. 10 or 11 is maintaining intensity in practice, something he hopes the younger players will glean from matching the veterans over the next couple weeks.
IN 'PARK'ER:As much as Pittsburgh tried to run at Tennessee's defensive line minus Albert Haynesworth, the Titans found a way to stop them. Willie Parker rushed 18 times for just 29 yards, including six carries for negative yards -- three straight in the first quarter.
Pittsburgh allowed 75.8 yards rushing coming into the game, but the Titans rushed for 117 yards to the Steelers' 71.
"We took so many shots [with Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch out] it seemed nobody believed in us. But that is fine because inside this locker room we do believe," defensive tackle Tony Brown said. "All week we heard so much of the talk that we couldn't do it, that we couldn't get it done. Quietly, we kept that under our belt, knowing that we had a great job to do."
INJURIES:Kevin Mawae (elbow) and Brown (knee) both got injured in the second half of the game. Their immediate status is unclear.
CONTRASTING STYLES:Collins, a Penn State alum, had a comment on Johnson's touchdown celebration, which started before he reached the end zone:
"I come from the old school. I don't think [head coach] Joe Paterno would really like that a whole lot. He got in and made a heck of a play."
