Titans vs. Vikings

LAST MEETING
This is the teams' first meeting since 2001, when the Vikings won 42-24 at the Metrodome.
OUTLOOK
The Titans have made the playoffs four of the past five seasons and are a proud bunch, so they can't be taken lightly. Even so, this is a game the Vikings should win with or without Randy Moss, who will be a game-time decision because of a strained hamstring and play a limited role, at best.
WORTH WATCHING
Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan stayed aggressive with his play calling after Moss went out at halftime against New Orleans, which lined up in an eight-man front and basically challenged the Vikings to beat them with the pass. The Titans have the NFL's 26th-ranked pass defense, but Fisher is one of the league's top defensive minds.
ON THE SPOT
Nate Burleson, Marcus Robinson and tight end Jermaine Wiggins all came through in the receiving game last week, before and after Moss went out. The pressure will be on the Vikings' other receivers to continue to make plays.
INJURY UPDATE
Titans: WR Tyrone Calico (knee), TE Shad Meier (appendix) and S Lance Schulters (foot) are out; CB Andre Woolfolk (back) is doubtful; RB Chris Brown (shoulder), LB Rocky Calmus (back), DT Jared Clauss (concussion), DT Albert Haynesworth (ankle), TE Erron Kinney (calf), QB Steve McNair (sternum), OT Fred Miller (ankle), G Benji Olson (groin), DE Juqua Thomas (ankle) and WR Drew Bennett (calf) are questionable. Vikings: C Cory Withrow (knee) is out; LB Chris Claiborne (calf) is doubtful; RB Michael Bennett (knee) and WR Randy Moss (hamstring) are questionable; and RB Moe Williams (calf), LB E.J. Henderson (knee) and LB Raonall Smith (concussion) are probable.
KEY MATCHUP
Vikings receivers vs. Titans defensive backs: The Vikings are averaging a league-leading 353.2 passing yards a game, while the Titans are allowing 234.3. Culpepper has passed for a league-best 18 TDs, and Tennessee has allowed 11, although it has seven interceptions. The numbers say the Vikings will have opportunities to make plays in the passing game. It is up to Burleson, Robinson and the rest to make them.
QUARTERBACKS
This has been a painful season for the Titans' Steve McNair. Through six weeks, he is tied for 27th among NFL QBs with a 67.9 rating and has completed only 57.5 percent of his passes for four touchdowns and six interceptions. Meanwhile, Daunte Culpepper continues to enjoy a career season for the Vikings after passing for five touchdowns in last Sunday's victory over the Saints.
RUNNING BACKS
Chris Brown has filled the departed Eddie George's shoes and then some. The second-year back comes into the game as the NFL's second-leading rusher with 608 yards. Injuries and Onterrio Smith's four-game NFL suspension have forced the Vikings into a running back-by-committee approach, but all their backs have been effective. Rookie Mewelde Moore had his second consecutive strong start in New Orleans and will lead off again today.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Moss' 26 receptions for 394 yards and eight touchdowns are all team highs, but Nate Burleson had a game-high 134 yards on six catches at New Orleans, and Marcus Robinson contributed two touchdown receptions. The Titans have statistically the top receiving duo in the AFC in Derrick Mason (36-429-2 TDs) and Drew Bennett (32-370-1).
TIGHT ENDS
Jermaine Wiggins returned to the Vikings' lineup in style Sunday night, catching five passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns, and even showed off some old break-dancing moves after the second score. Frank Wycheck retired after last season for the Titans, and Erron Kinney will miss his fourth game in a row because of a strained right calf. That leaves the starting job in the hands of rookie Ben Troupe, who has caught only five passes for 32 yards.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Except for a bad snap out of the shotgun, the Vikings' line had a strong game at New Orleans. In fact, after reviewing the tape, Mike Tice called it the unit's best performance of the season. Tennessee's offensive line has done a good job of opening holes for Chris Brown in the running game and protecting Steve McNair, who has been sacked only nine times. But not many lines can stack up to Minnesota's, which is among the best in the league, from tackle to tackle.
DEFENSIVE LINE
With seven sacks in the past two games, the Vikings have done a little better job of pressuring the quarterback lately, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. As for the Titans, they must find a way to get some heat on Culpepper, who has been sacked only 15 times and is very good at avoiding the rush when his protection breaks down. Tennessee sorely misses defensive end Jevon Kearse, who signed with Philadelphia during the offseason.
LINEBACKERS
Tennessee's Keith Bulluck is coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance and leads the team in tackles with 53, but the Titans suffered a major loss during the first week of training camp when fellow outside linebacker Peter Sirmon suffered a season-ending knee injury. For the Vikings, Raonall Smith will start at outside linebacker for Chris Claiborne (calf), but E.J. Henderson returns as the starting middle linebacker after missing the past two games with a knee injury.
SECONDARY
The Vikings finally got their first interception of the season last week, and it was a big one, as Antoine Winfield's sideline pick and 56-yard return set up a second-quarter touchdown that made the score 14-0. In the end, though, it was the same old story, with the defense holding on for dear life. Andre Dyson is a weak link at cornerback for the Titans, but they have a former Pro Bowler on the other side in Samari Rolle, and free safety Lamont Thompson is tied for the league lead with three interceptions.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Except for that 53-yard run off a fake punt, the Vikings' special teams had a pretty solid night in New Orleans, covering well and getting a late 33-yard kickoff return from Mewelde Moore that they turned into the game-clinching TD. Today's spotlight will be on the kickers—old man Morten Andersen against even older former Viking Gary Anderson — in a matchup of the top two scorers in NFL history.
COACHES
Jeff Fisher is one of the NFL's top coaches, but injuries and free-agent defections have seriously eroded the Titans' talent level. The Titans have a six-game winning streak against NFC foes. But unless the Vikings are badly outcoached or outplayed, this is a game they should win.