NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans wanted to head into the playoffs with a little momentum. Thanks to a dominating performance Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they'll have much more than that.
Kerry Collins threw for one touchdown, and Chris Johnson and LenDale White each ran for a score as the Titans routed the Steelers 31-14 in a showdown of the AFC's best teams. Tennessee clinched the conference's No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Four downs
» The Titans clinched home-field advantage for the first time since 2000.
» For the sixth time this season, Titans RBs Chris Johnson and LenDale White each scored a touchdown in the same game.
» Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger recorded his seventh career 300-yard game, passing Tommy Maddox for the most in franchise history.
» The Titans have allowed 14 points or fewer in 11 of their 15 games this season.Coach Jeff Fisher called this the Titans' best game of the season.
"This was not a statement game by no means," Fisher said. "It was a momentum game. We needed to build momentum for the playoffs and the bye week by playing well and winning the game. The bonus is the second game here at home." OOPS
Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck, who celebrated the victory by stomping on a Steelers Terrible Towel at the end, was much more succinct.
"It sets the tone for the playoffs in the AFC," he said.
The Titans improved the NFL's best record to 13-2 with their 15th win in their last 17 games. But they were coming off a loss to Houston in which they failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season and were up against the NFL's stingiest defense.
The Titans snapped back very well, ending the Steelers' five-game winning streak and becoming the first team to top 300 yards against Pittsburgh (11-4) this season. Tennessee finished with 323 yards.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin denied that his team was flat after a tough stretch in its third road game in the last four weeks.
"If you don't take care of the football against good people, it comes back to bite you," Tomlin said.
Tennessee did it without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch because of injuries. Their replacements helped them rest easy, though, as the Titans sacked Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger five times and forced him into four turnovers that they turned into 21 points.
Rookie Jason Jones, who started for Haynesworth, had 3.5 sacks and forced Roethlisberger into three fumbles. Safety Michael Griffin, a Pro Bowl alternate, came up with two interceptions for Tennessee.
"The effort we got out of that group was nothing less than spectacular," Fisher said.
With Roethlisberger trying to come up with more of his late-game magic, Griffin ended the Steelers' latest comeback try by intercepting another one of the quarterback's passes. Griffin ran back across the field and up the left sideline for an 83-yard touchdown return with 16 seconds left. Roethlisberger's first turnover hurt the most, coming at the Titans' 1-yard line in the first quarter as he was about to score.
"I don't know how damaging (it was)," Roethlisberger said. "It's hard to say. Any time you get there and take that crowd out of it, I mean, we were going to score some kind of points. Maybe their crowd gets out of it.
"We're not going to point fingers around here. We've done a great job of that all year. We win as a team, we lose as a team."
The Steelers, who had to win out to earn the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2004, had plenty of waving Terrible Towels in the sold-out crowd as fans stood throughout the game.
"It was a little surprising to see that many in our stadium," Collins said.
But Tennessee had its fans chanting "Titans, Titans" early in the fourth quarter and celebrating at the end.
In a game of streaks, the Titans scored the first 10 points, with Collins finding Justin Gage on a 34-yard touchdown pass after Roethlisberger's second fumble of the game.
Roethlisberger answered by driving the Steelers to two touchdowns. He tossed the 100th TD pass of his career, this one to Santonio Holmes, in the second quarter. Roethlisberger was 3-of-3 passing for 62 yards in the third quarter, when he capped a four-play drive with a 21-yard TD pass to Hines Ward and a 14-10 lead, Pittsburgh's first of the game.
The Titans drove 79 yards in 11 plays after Roethlisberger put Pittsburgh ahead 14-10, and the key play came on fourth-and-inches at the Steelers' 21. Tennessee, which failed to complete a fourth-and-3 pass in losing at Houston, had Collins pitch out to Johnson, and the rookie ran untouched 21 yards for a touchdown.
Then Griffin picked off Roethlisberger by stepping in front of wide receiver Nate Washington on the next drive, and he returned his interception 32 yards. White scored his 15th rushing TD of the season on a 1-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
"That is not the way we are used to playing defense," Steelers linebacker James Harrison said. "They did a good job. They came out and imposed their will."
Notes: Harrison recorded his 16th sack of the season, setting a Pittsburgh record, after hurting his right hip in the first quarter. He even went to the locker room, with his return questionable, but he was back one series later. ... Steelers safety Ryan Clark said he thought he separated his shoulder, but after the game, he believed he was OK. ... Only Earl Campbell has scored more rushing touchdowns (19 in 1979) in franchise history than White. ... Collins improved to 3-0 in his career against Pittsburgh.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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